Eleven Transient Butterflies
by OhCher
Summary: A young Killua meets a girl while on a mission. Surprisingly, this girl had already killed all of his targets. Eight years later, he meets the very same girl again without recalling any memories about their first encounter. But then, she had became a deadly spy and was now hired to kill them. KilluaxOC
1. Tense

This is my first fanfic. Please be kind to me. orz

The reason I create this fanfic is because I was bored _and_ because the rain is bumming me out. Characters can go a bit OOC but please bear with it. Kindly remind me if I'm overdoing it, but meh, let's cross that bridge when we get there.

English first language not. lolol Grammatical errors, point them out to me.

Prologue ~ Tense

Inspiration: Sign by FLOW _Oboeteru kana? Namida no sora wo_...

**DISCLAIMER**: **I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO YOSHIHIRO TOGASHI.**

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**1. Tense:**

Rain. Rain. _Rain_.

It's raining right now.

I can feel it descending angrily upon me. I can feel it colliding against my body. I can feel it pouring down on my head, making my hair stick together so as to let the water continue to stream down me.

I can feel the rainwater coursing through my body like it's searching a small spot of innocence that can save me from drowning from the heavy pressure on my chest. I can feel its raindrops landing on my skin like nuclear missiles sent by an enemy country. I can feel it hammering me down against the ground, as if emphasizing that I am now more worthless than dirt.

I can feel it pushing me to caress the lifeless body of the person I value before me. I can feel it dancing with the gentle wind while whispering to my ear all the moments when I was happy and that made me regret everything. I can feel it falling on me harder, almost like it wants to tear an opening while the wind roars in anger. I can feel it cleansing my body, washing away the sins yet the permanent stains still remained inside me like the rust stains on my clothes.

I can feel the rain. That means I'm still alive.

Rain. _Rain_. Rain.

The ground is red. Red all over. A red river? No. Red because of blood. The rich crimson color is flowing out of the now lifeless bodies scattered around the floor. With the rain's cooperation, it happened to form a red tainted body of water that managed to be as deep as my foot. It streamed through many different directions, as if trying to escape from my presence.

Then the rain fell harder, as if slapping me in the face for paying attention to trivial things. I then shifted my attention from the bloody water to the dead bodies.

I stared at them, carefully examining their clothes and faces. They are so red and pale. I looked at my hands. Also red and pale.

Am I dead too? No. I can feel the rain.

So, what happened? I then stared at my hands for a long time and tried to absorb and understand the things my little seven-year-old brain can handle.

_Now I get it._

My legs started to weaken. I can barely stand straight. Eventually, I fell to the ground in a sitting position. My knees got scraped and the red water crashed and rippled as I did so, bathing me with the fiery red color.

_Did I kill them all?_

I tried to stand up but failed. I chuckled dryly. Then a sardonic smile started forming on my face.

_I killed them all. So what?_

_Rain_. Rain. Rain.

Why am I feeling that this scene already happened before? A sense of tedious familiarity crept inside me and it made me shudder. The place, the blood, the rain, _everything_. So familiar. Of course, as one might have guessed, it did happen _before_. What I'm seeing right now is a piece of memory I managed to retrieve from my past. My memories are sealed away for some reason, but I'm lucky enough to remember my most painful memory yet in my entire lifetime, the very memory that shook the way I live life greatly. Yeah, everything doesn't always go my way. To be honest, it rarely even does.

This scene happened eight years ago, when I was supposed to be a cult sacrifice.

To be specific, the day when I was to be presented as a cult sacrifice.

It was raining heavily. I can hear the rain protesting against the window pane in my room. My room is very somber and tenebrific, like stepping inside a room inside a haunted house. Good thing the area is just isolated, not haunted.

I watched the raindrops fall down the glass and excitedly watched them race to see who's the winner, but they all stopped halfway there.

_Eh? That's it?_

I lied down disappointed on my bed and shifted through different positions I find comfortable and tried to sleep. But whatever I do, I still can't doze off. Maybe just I'm too bored to even think of sleep. I got nothing to do since I already finished doing my daily rituals. And I've been here since the day I was born but I still have no idea how to make time pass quickly.

Then out of the blue, my courage recklessly shot up that I managed to ask permission from the guard standing outside my door to stroll around. To my surprise, he agreed. I was so happy to know that someone finally gave me permission to explore the area but the thrill was short-lived, because he added that I cannot go outside because of the bad weather.

I hated the rain.

I decided to stroll around the underground caves. Many members of the cult can be found living there. They can be either torturing new recruits or preparing for the day of the sacrifice. They are_ forever_ preparing for the day when I'll be finally offered as the holy sacrifice.

I passed the torture chambers slowly and silently while holding my nose because I can't stand the putrid smell of the things that came directly from someone's stomach. I wonder why I don't hear screams and sobs here today. Usually, I would hear their frightening howls that make me recoil in fear every night.

I also gently skipped the puddles of what I think is water, but because of the dim light bulbs the cult chose to illuminate the passages, no one could ever distinguish if it is indeed water or blood. Or vomit.

A few minutes passed. I'm still strolling around with no exact destination. There is still a strong smell of vomit and blood in the air yet I already stopped holding my nose. I have gotten used to the smell and it doesn't bother me anymore.

I reached the prison cells. While walking, I paused several times to see the people inside the prisons. Each moment I do, I wave at them and give them a warm smile. The reaction will always be the same, ignorance. But once, someone actually waved back at me. The moment I noticed him do that, my face lit up. I walked near the prison and touched the biting cold metal bars gently. My fingertips contracted and flinched but I managed to hold on tightly. I don't know what's wrong with me but these little acts of passing my usual limits seemed to impress me. I was so proud of myself for doing so that I gave him a huge and honest smile.

"Hi, what's your—" I paused.

"_Yes, she's here. The ceremony's almost beginning? Good. I'll finally become a member..." _H-he's talking to someone. I didn't notice that.

He noticed the change in my face. He looked at me for a second then continued speaking to someone. This time he spoke in a very soft way that I didn't hear the rest of the conversation. I felt humiliated for being rude.

_Click!_

He turned off the phone. I let out a sigh of relief.

"...Hi." I tried again. He gave me a cold look then ignored me. "Hey, wait!" I reached inside the cell, my body rubbed against the metal bars. I forced myself to go inside the small opening. I wanted to reach him and thank him while seeing the smile that will form on his face.

Then I froze. I felt a pair of eyes piercing through my soul. I slowly retrieved my arm. I took a couple of steps backward before I reached the wall. I saw an evil smile glowing from the dark prison cell. I stopped moving completely. My eyes started to water and I don't know why.

"Run," he said in an amused tone.

And as if on cue, I heard footsteps coming from the left end of the passage. I started to run towards the right.

_Tap thump tap thump tap thump tap thump tap thump tap thump_

I can hear the sound of my footsteps mixing in with my heartbeat. I tried to run away as fast as my little legs can but I suddenly took an abrupt halt.

I saw the guy who waved at me earlier. He was carrying a sack. I looked at him with woeful eyes and he smiled faintly in return.

_Cling clang cling clang cling clang cling clang cling clang cling clang_

Someone's coming to get me. I can hear someone striking the metal bars of the prison cells I just passed. I can hear the heavy shackles creating friction against the damp and cold ground.

I can hear the sound getting closer. I didn't notice myself cower in fear. I have already covered my ears and closed my eyes while hoping that this is really not the day, this isn't the day. Please tell me I'll be able to live a while longer. I don't want to leave this world yet. I don't want to go yet. Let me stay.

I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder. It made me jump and before I knew it, I was already nervously retreating slowly. I saw five or more guys wearing coal black coats with hoods standing in front of me. I noticed that they were carrying different kinds of heavy looking chains and shackles to pin me down. Two guys even brought a mace and a flail in case I try to fight back or run away.

"Shh. It's okay. Stay calm. It'll be over soon. Don't escape now." The one with the mace said in a very comforting manner. I was almost lulled by the way he spoke until I saw the mace he's holding. I immediately regained my senses. How could I stay calm if you're here standing before me holding a freakin' mace that God knows what you'll use it for? I moved backwards again but then, I bumped against the guy I met in prison earlier. His presence makes me wonder, how did he get here so fast and why did he tell me to run?

He gave me a pat on the back and pushed me to where I stood before. I took a deep breath and then exhaled in defeat. I acted as if I was going to completely surrender. They caught my arms and then they chained it together immediately. I bit my lip to prevent myself from crying out in pain because they kept tightening it. Then, someone placed a heavy metal ball at the end of the chain, making it more difficult for me to escape. "How am I supposed to move?" I asked sheepishly, feigning innocence.

"Walk. And drag the ball. You've done that before, right?" He gave me a false smile. I snorted then quietly tried to remove the chains, that is, until I felt a sting on my cheek.

"What the HELL?!" I screamed out in anger. "I'm your beloved sacrifice and this is how you treat me?!" Another strike on the cheek. I can feel the blood rushing to my face. I caressed the cheek that he slapped.

"Don't get too cocky brat or you'll die sooner," he threatened. I looked at him with spiteful eyes.

"As if that'll happen," I said under my breath. He stared at me with malice. I then shifted my gaze towards the metal ball. The guys in hoods had already started walking. All that's left behind was me, the guy from prison and the one with the mace. I started to drag the ball while I struggled to walk at a steady pace.

"Say, why did you capture me? I was given permission to go out you know," I asked, trying to break the dead silence. Even with the chains producing an annoying clang and the sound of the metal ball rubbing against the floor, silence was still very evident.

"Yes, that is true indeed, but our beloved leader has already made orders for your immediate capture to prepare for the ceremony." The one holding a flail answered my question wearily. I can tell he's getting impatient.

We then continued to walk in silence. I managed to get used with dragging a big metal ball even though it strained my body a lot, but I eventually got tired of being held down. I slowly made an attempt to swing the metal side by side. Since only two persons are walking behind me, the ones in front didn't notice. In a matter of seconds, it was already swinging a few centimeters above the ground.

Just my luck, the one with the flail noticed what I'm doing and readied to strike me. Then, when he was about to do so, I used all the strength I have to swing the metal ball towards him and it landed his face. I managed to knock him out with thud on the floor and saw a trickling of blood spurt out of his mouth. Then the ball swung back, I dodged but still managed to control it, and it unexpectedly hit the person with the mace. I've got no time to pause and see his situation and hastily used the remaining strength I have to knock out the others.

But then, some sort of thick and toxic mist filled the air in an instance. I missed and the heavy metal ball fell to the floor and it pulled me down. I tried to stand up but failed. The mist was so thick and dim that all you can see is pure darkness. To make matters worse, my body refused to move. I can't breathe normally and there are strange ancient words being whispered to my ear.

_Make it stop._

Different emotions filled my mind. I was completely overwhelmed that my senses didn't function. I imagined the darkness engulfing me slowly, eating my insides. Then I felt something rigid and hard envelop my body. And a short moment later, I can feel myself being lifted up, the metal ball now removed from my chains.

I can feel my knees near my chest. I was now being carried in an odd position. Damn, I failed. Now all I have left to do is to wait with pure darkness accompanying me.

_Total darkness._

Everything is pitch black, with not even a ray of light in sight.

I'm having difficulty breathing. I kept trying to move around and gasp for air. Someone must have gotten irritated at my movements that he hit me and before I knew it, I already passed out.

When I woke up, I'm already tied against a big rock that is shaped like a surfboard. My hands are spread out in opposite directions. It was already night time, with the full moon shining brightly but not a star is present. There was deep and unbreakable silence.

At that very moment, my worst nightmare turned into a reality: I'm a helpless little girl, standing in front of a person ready to pierce me in the heart using the blunt sword he is firmly holding.

Funny, why use a blunt sword when he held a much sharper one at the other?

The answer? Simple. For me to die a slow and painful death.

The blunt one will probably be used to cut me, starting from my eye then slowly moving down my face. It will only give him the pleasure of seeing how I wail in pain as I die a slow _but_ very painful death.

The sharp one will be used to give me the terrible sensation of having my feet cut away from my body until I bleed to death. And also dismembering the other parts of my body until I became unrecognizable.

Now I'm seriously intoxicated with the idea of resisting and fighting back that it's almost painful to contain the caged beast screaming "Justice!" inside me.

Just imagine, the enjoyable feeling of hearing your enemies shriek in fear of losing their lives, having to witness the pleasurable sight of seeing them cling unto you and beg for their lives, asking for your mercy which you obviously don't just give to anyone. Seeing them kneel down against the cold red floor pleading for your forgiveness while you smile at them sadistically. Plus, having to smell the overwhelming scent of their blood that is splashed ruthlessly all over the place. And then, hearing the truth they finally confess to you before you send them all to hell.

How wonderful must it be to actually do it.

But to be able to do that, I need to gain something very valuable. Something _very_ necessary to my current situation. Something basically _everybody_ wants.

Power.

I want power.

I _need_ power.

After realizing that, I decided that I'll do whatever I can to break free from the rope tied around my hands. I want to break free from the heavy chain that clung around my feet. Realizing that all these stupid things that are about to happen to me were just for the sake of a cult made me stand more firmly on my resolve. It gave me the will to oppose them and escape my fate.

I was almost able to break free using complete willpower until the rain came. Crying overcast clouds accompanied the dead of the night.

Almost instantly, everyone disappeared behind the fog that came upon us. I can see nothing. I can't recognize anything. _I can't feel my body._

_Total Darkness_.

Rain._ Rain._ Rain.

Shortly after I made the scenery crimson red, the rain fell harder that I couldn't hear the fast beating of my heart. It was like roaring in either victory or anger. I covered my face with my hands and slowly backed away from where I stood. I could feel warm tears flow down my cheeks. My eyes were slowly getting swollen and I could feel the hammering of the raindrops on my body. Then, I caught the unfamiliar sound of wheels rubbing against the floor. I raised my head and locked my eyes on the person approaching.

He was riding a skateboard and seemed to be enjoying it. His silver hair danced with the wind as it flowed past his body, but it was wet enough to keep the wind from ruining its style. When he saw me, he stopped moving. He then picked up his skateboard and carried it. I noticed that he's wet because of the rain but it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

He took a step forward without emitting any sound and stared at the bloody corpses lying on the ground everywhere. His dark blue eyes shifted from one lifeless body to another, then laid them on me.

I met his eyes. And then I stared at his face. I made sure to examine every single facial feature that he has and searched for a bit of familiarity underneath them all. But I swear, I've never seen him before around here. But how could I even possibly do? Since I was locked up most of the time, I never got the chance to actually explore the area I live in. The rare moments that I was allowed to actually go outside were when I need to hunt down some items in preparation for my sacrifice. He could probably be a native here for all I know.

"You killed them?" His voice sounded gentle but cold. I nodded and then lowered my head. Guilt suddenly filled up my chest. I looked at my feet and noticed how long my toenails are. I moved them a little bit and felt the cold rainwater stream down under. It finally hit me that I was not wearing any footwear.

I glanced at his face again. He raised an eyebrow at me. I wiped my face which I reckon is still stricken with blood and raised my head again. He shrugged and clutched at the thing he's carrying. For some reason, I can't help but feel embarrassed.

But why should I feel embarrassed? It's not like I committed any shameful acts. What I did was only to even out the score.

"Cool," he spoke up. "How old are you?" Somehow, I heard a hint of interest in his voice.

"Why should I tell you?" I asked in a rather impolite tone.

"Then don't answer," he retorted and prepared to leave. He turned his back at me and dropped the skateboard he's holding on the floor.

"Wait! Don't go. Please take me with you!" I bursted. I immediately put a hand over my mouth. Why did I even say that? I don't even know the guy! I know I'm feeling a little empty and want to escape from this place, but why?! Why now? Why him? Why another boy?

I used my free hand to hit my head gently, hoping that I could regain my senses. The rain slowly stopped. I could see him wearing a surprised look on his face. I still have my other hand covering half of my face. Then I averted my eyes, turned my back against him, and simply walked away, acting as if I never even said those eight words. But then, I stepped on a bloody corpse and before I knew it, my foot is tainted with blood. Yuck!

I heard a giggle from behind me. That absolutely ruined my moment of perfectly executing a dramatic exit from this predicament I walked into.

"Sure." He broke the awkward silence. I turned my head, faced him and slowly removed my hand from my face. "Let's go." He grinned at me.

"Aniki, do you approve?" he shouted behind him and then winked at me. I stared blankly at the open space, completely forgetting about my bloody foot. I wondered about the person he's talking to. I searched the area and I found no sign of someone alive and breathing other than me and him.

I had no choice but to trust that he is indeed talking to someone, so I waited for the answer like he was too and was impatiently playing with my stained fingertips.

He received no response. I blinked twice then unconsciously scratched my head. "Well, no answer. Let's go anyway. Mom and dad would be so interested to know how you kill your targets!" he enthused. The rain completely stopped falling.

"What's your name by the way?" I asked cautiously. I watched him pick up the thing he dropped earlier and waited patiently for his answer.

"Killua. And you?" he asked while wiping his face dry with a cloth he got out of nowhere.

Then rain came again, this time, more heavily that all the previous ones.

He waited for me to speak up. I stared at him.

_He received no response._

Rain. Rain. _Rain._

_Déjà vu._

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**A/N: **How was it? Did you like it? If there are any concerns or if I'm turning my OC to a complete Mary Sue at such a fast pace that it could envy the speed of how fast people fall in love with a stranger they just met, please let me know. I want to avoid that, but I can't unless YOU help me. I'm new to the writing department and I would be _so_ glad to know if anyone is willing to help me improve. A beta reader perhaps?

And, what's your favorite name? I'll use it as my OC's name if you don't mind. :L

By the way, this story will be unpredictable. But also predictable. Watch out! I might kill off everyone in a blink of an eye. Am I kidding?

It's okay if you don't want to give me reviews but they are always appreciated! :)

**Some more notes: **

**- **Romance may be slow.

- The plot may become dark(er), hence it will mostly contain serious business rather than light-hearted fluff. And comedy. Because I suck and am an excruciatingly boring person. Apologies.

- OCs are weird and are prone to change. Canon characters may become OOC but kept only at a minimum if possible.

Thanks for reading!


	2. The Offer

Inspiration: Misguided Ghosts by Paramore _Misguided ghosts, travelling endlessly. The ones we trust the most, pushed us far away._

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HUNTER X HUNTER. CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS.**

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**Chapter 2: The Offer**

_Déjà vu, n._

_- A feeling of having experienced the present situation._

_Origin: French, adjective, literally "already seen"._

Déjà vu. The current situation bears a striking resemblance with what happened in the past. A phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced in the past. The experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before.

History repeat itself. The events of the past recur again most especially if one does not learn the lesson taught by the past. Everything would be repeated with a new face—mistakes, problems, predicaments, happy moments, fortunes, success, yes, everything—until one finally pays attention and digests the wisdom brought by it.

But what if one refuses to learn? What if one fails to see the lesson?

So what? Is it the end of the world?

Probably.

Not.

But what if it _is_? What if it is the end of _your_ world?

. . . . . . .

Stupid typhoon. Stupid weather.

My umbrella broke right after facing the heavy downpour for five "long" seconds. Now I have no choice but to brave the rain if I want to go back to the hotel. And how fluky! In the process of doing just that, I turned myself into a giant walking piece of wobbly gelatin. Imagine the _horror_.

The rain crashed down on me like I was just a teeny tiny ant and that went on for one _full_ hour. I'm absolutely wet with not a trace of dryness on me. Squishy squashy.

Once I arrived at my destination, I hurriedly entered the hotel. Silence. I managed to attract attention from all the people walking around on the hotel lobby. Seeing all those big sullen eyes on me felt like they just saw me kill someone. It was annoying as hell.

I tried my best to suppress the urge to say "Ignore me" and went straight into the elevator. Other people went inside almost at the same time I did but they didn't notice I was there at first. Of course, until they noticed the trail of dirty rain water I left behind. Everyone locked their eyes on me and automatically gave me space. Almost everyone tried to avoid even touching a single strand of my hair. Their eyes were tinged with horror and disbelief like they just saw a ghost. Some kid riding with me even burst into tears. Overreacting much?

I moved my head from side to side and saw everyone trying to squeeze in through the four corners of the elevator. I tried to make eye contact with all of them but they all averted their eyes. I saw that most of them looked pale like they just donated their blood or something. Then I noticed my reflection on the steel door. Haha, _I am the ghost._ My hair was hanging loosely in front of my face and the muted-colored clothes I'm wearing only added some wonderful finishing touches. I looked horribly scary.

_Ting!_

Finally, the fourth floor. The moment the door opened, everyone ran out screaming. It was almost like there's going to be a stampede, or they realized their favorite actor's staying on this floor for the night.

"Sada—Ruyoki!" Someone with a high-pitched voice screamed my name at the end of the hotel corridor a few seconds after I walked outside the elevator. I ignored the familiarity I sensed within it.

"What?" I replied indifferently. My tone was painted with complete disinterest and nonchalance. I then stepped outside the elevator slowly while cursing the umbrella I bought for such a cheap price. I knew it was too good to be true but I'll never learn.

I glanced at my watch and saw that it was already 9:00 P.M., the time where most people return to their respective hotel rooms and finally got to sleep or rest. I don't understand why at this hour, there are still many people up and about. Honestly, many people are just walking around randomly, like they're trying to find something fun to do. Some are even just walking in and out of their rooms. Are they nervous because of the weather? Are they frightened by me? Or did I accidentally go inside a mental hospital? Why am I even asking questions when I know they won't be answered?

I placed my hair behind my back and turned to my left. I saw the silhouette of a girl in her late teens nearing early twenties slowly approaching me. Her feet are emitting a loud and irritating sound that if it dares to go even louder, my head would explode. This better be something serious or else.

The girl is a brunette. She has shoulder-length curly hair. Her bangs hanged loosely on the opposite sides of her head, covering a part of her forehead and are framing her face, which was wearing an emotion of complete euphoria. Her golden amber-colored eyes glittered and an overjoyed smile started forming on her face as she closened the space between us.

She's wearing a red skin-tight t-shirt with the words "Here we are!" printed on it. She covered her lower limbs with a pleated skirt tainted with the annoying orange color and is wearing black sandals.

Only one person can show up to me while wearing clothes with the despicable color orange and come back unscathed.

And that accursed person is none other than Pearl.

"You'll never guess who wants to hire you to spy on someone today!" Pearl spoke ecstatically. Then she twirled around in front of me like an idiot, making her hair messy. It almost hit my face.

I gave myself a face palm and then rubbed my left eye because a strand went in. I peeked through my fingers and was almost instantly filled with distraught.

I slid my hand down my face and touched the bridge of my nose while slowly shaking my head in vexation.

She even started dancing and laughing like she didn't give a damn about the world. This caused people walking around on the lobby to look at us with curiosity and disgust plastered on their faces.

I slowly walked away from Pearl, hoping that I can convince people that I don't have the slightest idea who the person in front of me is. But Pearl suddenly regained her composure and noticed what I'm trying to do. She snatched my hand, pulled it closer and strengthened her grip. I almost lost my balance when she did that.

"You look sexy as always Ruyoki. I envy you." I brushed my damp hair behind my ears and paid attention to what Pearl just said. How is wearing a wet, I repeat, WET long-sleeved blouse paired with jeans considered _sexy_? Other than sticking to my skin whilst revealing a shapeless body, my clothes meant nothing other than making them the object of her attention.

"Your hair even matches your eyes! You are so attractive that everyone just wants to hire you!" That darn dark blue hair color highlighted with violet is the reason why I was even chosen to be the sacrifice! As for my hazel eyes, they are so boring to look at and blank that you can't even decode anything about me from them.

So, please, _please_ explain to me how I even became attractive.

"Just tell me who it is," I snapped at her.

"Okay!" And that foolish nature of hers returned. She managed to twirl and giggle at the same time while holding my hand.

"It's the..." She finally stopped twirling. But then, she shrilled and shook her head so rapidly that for a moment, I thought she just escaped from an asylum. Oh, go figure.

I then put a finger in my ear nearest to her in hopes of finally getting rid of the ringing in my ears that always comes in afterwards she does her crazy movements.

"It's the?" I removed the finger and tapped my foot impatiently on the floor. She still held my hand and kept squeezing it every now and then because of excitement.

"You know what, for a girl nearing her twenties, you have the brains of a five-year old," I insulted. I tried to provoke her to snarl at me and retort back. At least when she does that, she's composed and easier to talk to. Scratch that, she's also difficult to talk to during that state. But hey, at least she can be talked with.

"I know, right?" she answered in a playful tone. Then she showed me her biggest grin. I stared at her face with my left eyebrow raised. "That was not a compliment, you know." I rolled my eyes at her.

"I don't care." She let go off my hand and stuck her tongue out. "I've decided. I'm not going to tell you."

"Just spit it out!" I hissed.

"Fine, Ms. Grouchy Pants!" She folded her arms and took a deep breath. Then she stroked a lock of my hair using her fingers, ignoring the fact that it's wet. My eye twitched in annoyance.

"It's the..."

The?

...ZOLDYCKS!" And then she spun back to her room.

That last remark she said made everyone stop moving, as if time had completely refused to move.

There was no doubting it, they're afraid of that assassin family.

Or are just surprised because I made friends with a stupid young-at-heart girl.

They are famous around this area so I half-expected that someone or most of the people present here would be surprised if that name is mentioned.

After taking notice of the reactions of the people present, I stepped inside my room, hurriedly put on dry clothes and followed Pearl to her room. I entered it without permission. I'm sure she doesn't mind. I then closed the door gently.

"So? They hire me _every_ time."

Yep, every time.

They are actually the ones who helped raise my reputation as a spy in the underworld. I'm grateful to them for that, so I always offer them a 20% discount for my services.

"But this time, it's special. Who you're about to spy on is not one of their targets." Pearl then giggled nonstop. She handed me the letter and started walking inside the bathroom and left me alone to read in silence. I slowly opened the envelope and reached inside for the letter. I noticed that it was already tore opened so no need for extra effort.

My letters are always addressed to Pearl since she resides in a particular area for a long time, like about two years ago, she started renting this apartment and never left until I talked her out of it. Whereas I always hop from one house to another because of the jobs I take.

"It's the heir!" Pearl screamed from the inside of her bathroom. She kind of ruined the moment. I was actually getting caught up with Pearl's excitement in me knowing who I'm going to spy on, but... "Damn you!" I narrowed my eyes at the bathroom door and yelled back.

I finally unfolded the letter and smoothed out the creases. Pearl was probably too excited and nervous when she held this. It indeed read about spying on their precious heir because he escaped while carrying very valuable information that could risk the existence and reputation of their business.

As if they didn't have a reputation in _killing_ already. I sighed and folded the paper carefully again and placed it back inside the envelope.

"I already wrote back saying that you agree!" Pearl entered the room again and handed me another envelope. She's looking calmer now, but the moment I took the letter from her hands, Pearl suddenly lunged at the bed and screamed endlessly. It's a good thing that it was muffled because she put a pillow over her mouth. Otherwise, I would have slapped her to snap out of it.

"What's so cool about them that I actually managed to overlook it?" I questioned her with a hint of curiosity and sarcasm in my voice. They are many paying customers out there besides them. I don't really have favorites when it comes to picking who I want to be my clients, but to be honest, I don't like working for them.

"Well, Milluki is one of them right? I met him in one of those dating sites and I immediately adored him!" That gave me shivers. My eye twitched again and there's this something that unexpectedly blocked my throat.

I coughed momentarily and then managed to wheeze out the words "Does he have a picture on his profile?"

Pearl stared at me in confusion and answered, "No, but I don't care. His description seems good enough for me. And I'm sure he won't lie about _that_ to me. It's just a description and oh, please, how could that even affect _my_ feelings about him?" She flipped her hair in triumph of defending her conviction. Then her cheeks started to redden that it's almost disgusting.

I met Milluki once and he's definitely not like what Pearl thinks he is. I wanted to shout at her and say "Have you even seen the guy?!" but then, I suddenly felt queasy. My stomach hurt a bit and the room started spinning. But still, I managed to show no signs of disgust and completely ignored the last remark.

"Well, thanks. I'll go meet up with them first thing in the morning to discuss certain matters regarding the job." I walked out of Pearl's room and closed the door behind me.

I sighed then went down the lobby hastily through the elevator. Our rooms are located on the fourth floor, by the way. I returned the extra keys I borrowed because I lost my duplicate earlier but luckily found them. Afterwards, I went straight to my room and slept.

:::::::::::::::::::

"Yes, I'll be going there at exactly 8:30 A.M. I've already scheduled an appointment. No, I won't need your help in opening the gates."

Pearl called me while I was eating breakfast at a restaurant in the other city. I didn't wake her up to join me with my meeting. It's not like she asked me to or anything.

"You could've invited me, you know. I could even track down that heir for you!" Pearl whined. I admit, she really has a knack of finding people, but this time I'm not asking for her help. I've relied on her far too much.

"No. You're just looking for an excuse to see Milluki." A chill went down my spine after I said that name.

"Fine, fine. Good luck." Pearl sounded like she was caught in the act. "Good bye." Then she hung up.

I put my phone back in my pocket and finished eating. Then I stood up and left my payment on the table. I headed towards the exit and glanced at my wristwatch. It's only 7:47 A.M. I looked around and saw the city already busy and bustling with people.

It wouldn't hurt if I want to have a bit of leisure time just by myself, right?

I decided to stroll around a nearby mall. I checked the bookstores and looked at the most recommended list. Sadly, there's nothing included in the list that ignites my interest.

To be honest, I don't really like to read. Why would you waste time on reading someone else's adventures when you can create your own?

I picked up a random book and read the summary at the back. Well, this seems pretty interesting for a change. I flipped through its pages and looked for something that might catch my eye and encourage me to buy it.

Unconsciously, I was already walking around the store carelessly. I wandered around it like I owned the place, not minding whether I might actually bump into some bookshelves or other things.

While scanning through the pages of the book I found, I _did_ bump into _someone, _causing the book he's holding to fall on the floor. The book I was holding fell on the floor as well.

"I'm sorry." I bent over and picked the book up. I straightened up and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he said in a polite tone. He also bent down and picked up the book that I held up to my face before I bumped into him.

"Thank you, too," I said to him after I received the book.

The person I just spoke with seems to be nearing twenties, too. He's probably a 17 or 18-year-old. He has blond hair which reaches the nape of his neck. He has a couple of chestnut-brown eyes and a well-toned body. He's also taller than me.

I blinked in amusement at how often I meet typical random persons at this bookstore. To tell the truth, I met Pearl while I was carelessly walking around in this store as well.

"Do you come here often?" He asked me, still maintaining the polite tone.

"Not that often, but yeah, maybe." I wanted to punch myself for answering too casually.

"I see. To be honest, I have already seen you here three times since I started becoming a regular customer."

Oh really?

"Oh, I see." That was all I could utter. Now I seriously want to inflict a fatal injury on myself for being too openly disinterested with what we're talking about. But I really don't pay any attention to the people visiting here with me, so I can't say the same thing about him.

"So what is your name?" I tried to break the silence. He was already putting back the book he held back to the shelf when I spoke.

"My name is Kurapika. You are?"

"Ruyoki."

I reached out my hand and he took it. "Nice meeting you." I let go off his hand and smiled faintly. "You too," He spoke with a smile.

I glanced at my watch. It's now 8:11 A.M.!

"Shi—Gosh, I'm going to be late! It was really nice meeting you though." I managed to avoid cursing since it would leave bad first impression. I put the book back to where I found it and darted outside. I never got the chance to wave bye at him or even hear his response to my sudden jolt.

I ran from outside the mall to a street near the road hastily. All that mattered at this moment was how I can avoid being late. I waited for a taxicab to pass by while glancing anxiously at my wristwatch. Fortunately, after only waiting for two minutes and ten seconds, I saw a taxi speeding down the road. I raised my hand to hail it.

"To the gate marking the start of the domain of the Zoldycks," I said while sliding inside the cab. The driver gave me a weird look through the rear view mirror. "I'll pay extra. Hurry!" I always pay lavishly at times like this. The driver smiled secretly then nodded in approval.

The cab immediately sped down the road and we reached the gate within a few minutes. I exited the cab and as promised, I paid extra. "Wow, thanks miss!" The driver's face glowed again when he saw the amount of money I paid him. Then he drove back hurriedly to the main road.

I looked behind me and noticed the eerie silence that crept before me. Now I know I'm standing here alone. I stared at the gate that many people call the "Gate of the Underworld", but is really called the "Testing Gate" while imagining what surprises will attack me this time.

Then I heard footsteps coming from my right. I looked at the guard's office and saw Zebro walking around inside it and then sitting in his usual seat. He's probably waiting for the tour bus to arrive. At least then he can do something.

He looked towards my direction and saw me. He then waved at me and asked, "Hired again?"

"Yeah!" I replied with a smile.

I then turn my head towards the gate. I slowly walked towards it while fighting the anxiety I'm feeling. Sigh, here I am again, face to face with the dreaded Testing Gate, the boundary of life and death, the only thing blocking hell from heaven, but the only way in.

To be exact, the Testing Gate is _something_ you have to pass in order to enter the Zoldyck domain _alive_.

Yeah, _alive_. There is actually another gate located at the lower right of this enormous Testing Gate. But when you enter it, bye bye for you. I can assure it that you'll be eaten alive if you make the dumb mistake of entering through that gate, or in _any_ other way in particular.

The Testing Gate consists of seven doors. Each of the two panels of the first, smallest door weighs two tons, and a bigger panel weighs twice as much as the panel immediately preceding it. The gate is designed so that it opens the door corresponding to the strength of the pushing force.

I marveled at how big it actually is, even if I've already been here innumerable times before.

I slowly pushed the gates at first then gave my all to push faster and harder. I managed to open the second door of the gate, which weighs eight tons.

"Tch! As usual," I said to myself, completely unsatisfied. For a moment, all the nervousness I'm feeling disappeared.

I entered the gate and peeked at the enormous dog on my right. The dog's name is Mike and he is probably twenty times larger than the size of a normal dog. I've already seen Mike countless times in the past but I've never felt comfortable around it. Just to add, Mike is the one responsible for killing the intruders of the estate.

Is he the one guarding the gates? Yeah. Zebro and the other guards stationed outside are just there for clean-up duty. Clean-up meaning after Mike's done eating the people impulsively entering the estate.

I looked and concentrated at what's in front of me and ignored the anxiety building up in my system again. I can still remember the last time I went here.

I stared at the ironic view before me. The intimidating vista of Kukuroo mountain itself, with the rumors attached to it, can give anyone shivers yet the trees and flora scattered around the area are very well maintained, giving the impression that Kukuroo mountain is like one giant garden. The overwhelming presence of the quietness gives a clear understanding on the meaning of the word "eerie" but in spite of that, it makes one want to continue exploring, like you're inside a horror movie.

The frightening sudden movements of who-knows-what in the background as you walk towards the estate are quite disturbing. Added with the strange deafening silence that comes every now and then when you know some danger will befall upon you just by roaming around the domain are _nothing_ compared to the sweet taste of curiosity, that will eventually lead to a bitter, horrible after image if you just recklessly meet Canary, _and_ persist on moving forward.

Yes, despite it all, everything seemed so serene, so calm, so mild, so peaceful, so _surreal_.

Sigh.

That was just two days ago. I'd been a recurring figure in Kukuroo Mountain yet I still can't familiarize myself with the atmosphere here.

I don't understand it myself but everything always seemed different and new whenever I step inside their property.

I then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm my nerves.

Maybe it's because that I know I'm here again, entering the vicinity of the Zoldycks, where normal people don't exist.

Only monsters.

* * *

**A/N**: I tried my best to make it longer but, sigh. Thanks to those who reviewed the prologue! And especially to those who suggested names! I love you guys! :*

But in the end, I used the name "Ruyoki" because I lost in a rock-paper-scissors match with a friend. It's simple, if I win, I'll use any of the names suggested by some reviewers and if she wins I'll use "Ruyoki". And guess what?! I lost! Yeah I've said it already. No turning back now. I shall go on with my first O.C. named Ruyoki!

_(Note: Playing rock-papers-scissors is some thing I do to help me decide. Gon and Killua style \m/)_

Info about the Testing Gate is from Hunterpedia. Déjà vu and etc. are from Wikipedia and somewhere on the Internet.

Reviews are always welcome! Did you like this chapter? Tell me, do I obviously suck at writing? Should I stop this?

And, thank you for reading! :)


	3. Hello, Zoldycks

I'll try to update once a week starting now! Or maybe once every two weeks or even three.. Sorry for the long rambling every end of the chapter. I'll try to fix that.

Inspiration: Hunter x Hunter Drama CD _The Zaoldyeck Special _(I prefer using "Zoldyck" since not many people can pronounce "Zaoldyeck" easily. Like me, for example.)

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HUNTER X HUNTER.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Hello, Zoldycks**

What made me uneasy was seeing another new face of Kukuroo Mountain.

The cold breeze gently enveloped the trees. Light rubbing of the leaves is heard as a reaction to this stimulus. The delicate rustling sound served as a mellow song of the forest. As a final touch, the birds' high-pitched chirping overhead made the whole scenery picture-perfect. The bushes seemed to have reacted to the wind the same way as well, with their leaves swaying around like a flexible dancer. Light passed through the translucent roof of trees carefully, seeping in like an unexpected guest.

Everything in this estate seemed to be well taken care of with no wild weeds growing around the area. Everything, for once, seemed _less_ threatening.

I walked forward slowly while trying to indulge myself completely to this serene yet intimidating view of Kukuroo Mountain. Who knows, this place might indeed be crawling with unknown monsters that scientists have yet to discover.

Then I heard the clear sound of ripples made on a surface of water coming from my left side.

I walked towards the sound and saw frogs jumping from one lily pad to another. I noted the little waves that were formed as they leap with such force. This only added to the natural beauty that Mother Nature possesses. The face of the water was as clear and smooth as glass. Everything swimming underneath seemed like it was so near the surface, despite the fact that this pond is deep but shallow enough to let the light penetrate the bottom.

I was astonished to see some flowers growing around the area. They all varied in shapes and colors. Their sizes and textures differ, too. The plants that wore them looked very similar with each other, though. But I'm not really considered as an expert with things regarding to plants so I'm not so sure about that.

Another benign but cold breeze passed through us and the plants danced around. A little smile started forming on my lips. I never knew an assassin family's home could be this peaceful and relaxing. Strange.

Suddenly, barely audible murmurs are heard, and they sounded like coming from all directions. It's like the people are chanting something—a spell, for example—or are speaking in a different cryptic language.

This made me conclude that, the more I explore the area, the more I can feel something's about to happen, good and bad. I feel like it's going to come to our doors unanticipated, like a thief ready to kill if we resist.

_"...We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun..."_

A single line from a song was sung with a clear and sweet voice. Every note seemed to be mixed in with honey and oil. She had this very inviting voice that peculiarly made me want to hear more.

I turned to face where the sound came from. Then I noticed that I wasn't near the Testing Gate anymore. I calculated that I must've been walking around a lot more than I knew. I recalled that I was greeted by Canary a little earlier and I paid her no attention. How rude of me.

And I was no longer standing on the beaten path. Instead, I stood near several flowerbeds.

_"...One of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right..."_

Another song. I can't hear the rest of the singing because the voice grew fainter. But from that single line, I can guess that sadness is now tinged on the voice. I wonder why? But then, it hit me. That voice is quite familiar. _Too_ familiar.

I decided to head to where the voice came from. Before walking pass the tree, I caught the familiar sight of dark brown hair. My eye twitched automatically when I was greeted by Pearl's delighted face.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?!" I snarled.

"I was waiting for you!" Pearl winked at me. I squinted my eyes.

"Since when did you enter here?" I asked irately.

"Just 30 minutes ago, while you were busy lollygagging outside."

My eyes widened. "You saw me?"

"Nope, I just guessed. There's no way you could be already here when I can't even sense your presence."

"How'd you enter here _alive_?" I asked in a surprised tone.

"I pushed the gate." She stated matter-of-factly. "I managed to open the first door. The old man guarding outside looked the same way you do now when he saw a cute girl like me open one of those babies!" Then she put her hands on her hips.

I rubbed my eyes. I must be dreaming. How can she be _that_ strong? Nonetheless, she'll never reach my level. Hahaha—

"Don't be so sure of that, Ruyoki. You don't really know what I'm capable of." It's like she's reading my mind. But that's impossible. Or did she really? Despite that, she's correct.

All I knew is that she's annoying, conspicuous, happy-go-lucky, good at locating people, and that's it. But she sure knows a lot about me, and it's one of the reasons I decided to keep her around me.

"You shouldn't really be spacing out right now Ruyoki-_chan_." Damn, using honorifics. "We've only got ten minutes left to reach the main mansion." I looked at my wristwatch.

Oh shit! She's right.

I caught her hand and ran pass the trees. Pearl managed to not let herself get dragged around and was keeping pace with me. "You could start telling me how you managed to get pass Canary now." I said with a crisp voice.

"Oh! Of course, before I entered the domain, I called and said that I'll be going in your place because you're too busy at the moment!" Pearl enthused. Then she eyed me carefully. I gave her the same look. "What, did you think I'd be that stupid to just waltz in like some idiotic animal?!" I just smirked at her last remark, but that's none of my concerns right now. The thing is, when did everyone here got so gullible?! They've become careless enough to believe Pearl even if they even haven't met her? Are they seriously just going to let her pass just like that next time?! What if some enemy of theirs used my name to finally get a chance to attack—

I heard a light and sweet melody near my ears.

I looked beside me and heard Pearl humming the tune of the song she sang last. I sighed and said, "You're really here to finally see Milluki, aren't you?"

She started to blush. "Yeah. That conversation last night made me curious." Pearl confessed. She stopped humming.

"Figures." I mused.

A long silence accompanied us after that. Only the steady beating of Pearl's feet and the light breeze made noise.

:::::::::::::::::::

We reached the mansion in time.

Upon knocking on the ominous-looking door, a tall and slender middle-aged man greeted us. He was all clad in black and was wearing round-framed glasses. I grinned. It was Gotoh, who else?

Then, Gotoh smiled at me, like he was amused by my thoughts, or perhaps by how foolish I looked with the grin I'm wearing.

I just realized something.

_No, wait._

My chest suddenly felt heavy. The grin started fading away.

"I am not who you think I am, Miss Ruyoki."

_That isn't Gotoh._

I forgot.

Gotoh died.

He was killed.

By Hisoka.

I clasped my hands together and was struck with momentary sadness. The grin I wore completely disappeared without a trace. Even if we our relationship isn't what I can consider "close", I still felt bad about it. Being killed by a crazy clown-slash-magician doesn't bring much dignity.

"But I was informed you were too busy to come..." He spoke with Gotoh's voice like it was used everyday. Sigh, _Kirikos_.

"Yeah, but I made sure to sneak in time for this. By the way, this is Pearl." I pointed at her. "She's the one who called about that." I gave her a long stare. "Right!" She smiled.

"Very well, come this way please."

We walked through the dimly-lit corridors in silence, only Pearl's and "Gotoh"'s steps made an echoing sound.

We stopped in front of a large metal door. I heard a lock turn and the door was opened from the inside. We were greeted by a couple of amethyst eyes.

It was a boy with shoulder length black hair and bangs hanging on his forehead. He's wearing an indigo colored kimono, designed with flowers and the like. "Kalluto." I uttered then looked at Pearl, who just nodded. It makes me wonder if he likes to don these clothes as much as his mother likes to make him wear them.

He beckoned us to enter. "Gotoh" positioned himself behind us and waited for us to enter, too. I peeked inside before doing so and made a careful glance around the room.

I saw four figures, but Milluki's not one of them.

"Damn it!" Pearl mumbled. I smiled at her in mockery.

"Good morning." I greeted the four figures standing before me. Kalluto joined them eventually.

"Hello and welcome Ruyoki and to you, too..." A muscular man with long silver hair and slit like pupils, similar to those of a tiger's spoke to us. "Pearl." I stated. He then looked at Pearl, who was standing beside me . "... And to you, too Pearl." He repeated. "You might not know me yet Pearl, so I will introduce myself. My name is Silva, the father of the heir." He spoke in a calm and authoritative voice. Then he looked at the other four figures, urging them to do the same.

Kalluto prepared himself to speak. He then fixed his eyes on Pearl. "I am Kalluto." He spoke without averting his gaze at her.

"My name is Zeno, Silva's father."

"And I'm Maha, Zeno's father."

Zeno has silver hair like his son while Maha already lost his. They really live ridiculously long.

"I am Illumi. Our mother, Kikyo, is not here at the moment. She is with Milluki, our brother. Please excuse their absence."

Illumi is a tall young man probably in his early twenties and has long black hair. He also has a pair of large and blank cat-like eyes. He remained expressionless, like a robot, even while talking.

Pearl glowed at the very moment Milluki's name is mentioned but looked hopeless afterwards.

Tch, I can't believe they welcomed her so warmly that they'd even introduce themselves. And for the record, I already know them all, except for the heir they mentioned at the mail.

"Ahem, regarding the job..." I started. "Could you please explain the situation more clearly?"

"As you have read before, it was because he has taken with him very valuable information when he left. And that information must either be brought back or destroyed." Silva answered. "And by all means, our family wants to prevent killing another family member during an inner mission," He shot a glance at Illumi. "So we decided to just hire you to sort it out for us."

Lazy asses, or are probably too busy to fix it themselves.

"Last time I checked, we were not considering Alluka as a family member." Illumi mused.

"You even called him as 'a piece of valuable information.'" Kalluto heard his older brother's remark.

"So we're talking about either killing this 'Alluka' or bringing him back?" Pearl was eavesdropping. I personally thought that this heir was just carrying a bunch of highly confidential documents.

"Yes." Zeno answered. The other three were too busy glaring at each other. "How about it?" Maha added.

"I accept." I spoke up. "But before we sign the contract, could you show me a picture of the heir and the 'valuable piece of information' or perhaps a detailed description?"

"Or could you at least tell us his name?" Pearl complained. I gave her a contemptuous look.

Zeno nodded at Illumi and he walked towards the door.

"Follow me." He said in a deadpan tone. We left the other four inside the room.

We reached a room with a shiny black metal door. "This is Killua's room. Feel free to look around." Illumi said to us. He then unlocked the door and entered. We followed him.

"Killua, huh?" Pearl whispered to me. She was busy looking around and under unnecessary places. At the same time, I was busy observing the room. There's not much furniture in there, excluding the bed and the sofa for two people at the corner. But there's also a tv in here and a laptop placed over a table, a closet and drawers, a night lamp near the bed and some bookshelves. I guess there _are_ some furniture.

This pretty much looked like a normal boy's room to me. Heck, even my room might've looked very similar to this, that is if I settled down in one house. "In the meantime, I'll be going back to join them to help arrange the contract. I'll send a servant over here if you need any help." Illumi said to us, still expressionless. I turned my attention towards him and nodded in consent. He then left us alone in the room. The air seemed to feel a bit lighter, now that the awkward silence is gone.

"He's the eldest, isn't he?" Pearl said as she opened one of the drawers. They were empty. "Yeah." I answered while being inattentive. I continued to look at the bookshelves and scanned through the books. I saw a picture of him and the other Zoldyck children. "You know, when he said the name 'Killua', I thought he had other feelings for that younger brother of his. You know, more than familial love?" Pearl giggled. I gave her a weird look. "More than...?" I asked curiously. Pearl just sneered at me. "Oh." I finally realized. I put a hand over my face to cover my embarrassment of being too dense and slow.

So she means... _Incest_?

"Ruyoki-san, Pearl-san." A female servant declared her arrival. "My name is Amane. Please approach me if I can be of any service." Pearl waved at her. I remained impassive.

"Hey, could you tell us more about this Killua?" Pearl gave her an over-sweetened smile.

Amane nodded. "Of course. Killua-bocchama has been an excellent assassin. He is the best that the Zoldyck family has ever produced. He even surpassed his brothers." Better than the eldest, huh? This is intriguing. "However, three years ago, he ran away from home. He stated that he was tired of killing and so he quits his profession. He then entered the Hunter Exam. Illumi-sama went to get him and was successful in doing so."

Amane's guard shot up at the very mention of Illumi's name.

"But afterwards, his so-called "friends" went to bring him back. Silva-sama gave his consent and allowed Killua-bocchama to leave. We don't know what happened to him in the meantime." Pearl's eyes sparkled as Amane told the story.

After a short pause, she continued. "But just last year, I have been assigned to serve under Killua-bocchama and have been of service for a short time. He came back unexpectedly and brought Alluka-bocchama with him. Me and Grandma Tsubone were ordered by Silva-sama to watch over them. Our fellow butlers, Gotoh and Canary, joined us as well. Afterwards, we never heard of him again." Pearl clasped her hands and looked at me. I gave her an indifferent look.

Then I sighed as I tried to recall something from the back of my mind. I didn't notice that I was staring blankly at Pearl's face.

_Killua._

I've heard that name before. And him being an excellent assassin is too familiar. I know I've met him in the past before. I'm sure—

"Ruyoki, let's go back?" Pearl tugged at my arm, "Your target seems new, isn't he?"

"Y-yeah." I said, unsure of myself.

I know I heard something about him before.

Maybe as someone on the blacklist? He's an assassin after all. Hahaha. That must be it. Yes, that's it!

I dismissed that thought afterwards. What a crazy idea. That _didn't_ happen. And no matter how you look at it, it's impossible to have met him previously. There's absolutely no way.

Yep, I had never met him before. _Or have I?_

We left the room after Amane told her side of the story. Then she lead us to a room with a more normal looking door. Before we entered, the room was pitch black. Then suddenly, a single spotlight shone through. I was greeted by a large office table, a pen and a paper with the title "CONTRACT" written in bold letters.

"Please sign here and the contract will be made effective after you write down the date when you'll begin the job." Another female servant, with the name Tsubone, spoke on behalf of the Zoldycks. Milluki and Kikyo, Silva's wife, are now present. This made Pearl excited and a little nervous.

I wonder if it's because she finally saw Milluki in person or because she's disgusted with him the same way I am? Hmm.. A different reason? _Or maybe she has no idea that Milluki is already standing in front of us?_

I read the other details written down. It is stated that they'll be giving me my pay every time I come back to report, and there's also no time limit. After reading the rest, I signed the contract. Then Tsubone gave me my copy and we prepared to leave.

"I'll be starting tomorrow." I declared.

Silva nodded, "Any more concerns?"

I looked down and thought for a moment, "Can I kill the heir?"

Kikyo gulped. Everyone in the room felt uncomfortable and uneasy. I tried to hide the evil smile that started forming from the corner of my mouth. "Yes, if it's necessary."

The Zoldycks shot angry and confused glances at Silva. I'm also surprised at his answer. What an insensitive father. "Dear, how could you?!" Kikyo started wailing.

"But only if he shows no signs of being the rightful heir anymore. If he lets himself get killed, then we have no right to claim him as our prodigy. With that said, you will have to monitor his and Alluka's every movement and report everything to us with blunt honesty. We shall be the judges on whether Alluka will be needed to be brought back immediately or eliminated. That rule also applies with Killua. You can not decide on your own if it concerns the welfare of the persons aforementioned. The rest will be up to you, however."

I nodded in agreement. Kikyo and everyone else recovered from the shock. They probably have put a lot of faith in their precious heir. The tension has eased up now. Everyone had their guards up after they heard Silva's answer to my question but the atmosphere lightened up a bit.

I walked towards the door, preparing to leave. Pearl followed me.

"Pleasure doing business with you." I bowed then took my leave.

Killing the heir? Now that would be fun.

We exited the mansion and silently walked down the mountain. I kept thinking about what the heir and "valuable piece of information" really looked like. What I saw in the room didn't bring me much help. I can only guess that the heir has the silver hair based on the photo I found.

"So what'cha gonna do now?" Pearl broke the silence and asked me while combing her hair. I forgot about what I was thinking about for a moment and glanced at my wristwatch. It was already noontime. The meeting took longer than expected.

"Leave Kukuroo Mountain first, of course." We were still walking down the mountain. We have already passed Canary but it seemed as though we have been walking for hours.

Eventually we met the gate again. I pushed it and we finally exited Kukuroo Mountain. I waved bye at Zebro and started running down the road. I stopped to catch my breath and looked at the view before us.

"So what now?" Pearl asked again. Apparently, the first objective has been accomplished. She saw what I'm looking at and was so amazed that it made her jaw drop.

"Wow!" Pearl exclaimed.

I smiled then answered the question, "Eat." I then pointed at the restaurant I saw down below.

"Wanna jump? Or are you chicken?" I teased.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Pearl jumped down the cliff first, sliding down the dirt. I did so too.

We arrived at the entrance of the restaurant.

"Let's go." I said as I smoothen out my clothes and brushed the dust and dirt away.

We entered the restaurant. The receptionist led us to an empty table. Pearl sat down first. I sat right across her.

"So about the job..." She began.

"Yeah, yeah. First, I have to find the heir." I interrupted her without thinking twice.

A waiter went to our table. I ordered two juices and a bowl of spaghetti. Pearl ordered salad. Then he left. A few minutes later, the waiter brought back our beverages.

Pearl sipped a little juice then met my eyes. "Find him? How'll you going to do that?"

"I dunno." I confessed.

"What if I tell you..." Pearl rested her cheek on the palm of her hand, "...that he's here?"

I almost choked. "Really?!" How could that heir be so careless? If he was near his home the whole time, how come the Zoldycks didn't know a thing about that?

"Relax. I was just kidding!" Pearl gave me an innocent grin.

"That's not funny. I take my jobs seriously, you know." I narrowed my eyes at her. Then my eyes secretly searched the whole area. She's definitely lying.

"Yeah if he's sitting right beside us is considered a joke." Pearl rolled her eyes at me and drank some of her juice again. I didn't take the last remark seriously.

"I'm dying of laughter." I said sarcastically and then drank my juice, too.

"No, seriously. Look." Pearl put the glass down. She looked so stern and serious for once in her life that I almost made the mistake of not doing what she says.

So while I was still drinking, I curiously looked at the table beside us.

* * *

**A/N: **Song titles are "Seasons in the Sun" by Westlife and "You and Me" by Lifehouse in case you're interested.

The "Serene yet Intimidating Kukuroo Mountain" picture was described by my lovely ghost writer _(Neon's Nen ability FTW!)_, Friki.

Sorry for the confusion about the ages and the setting. I hope this chapter clears up everything.

Answer this: Is Ruyoki freakin' paranoid or what? LOLOLOL  
Tell me, what do you think about her attitude? I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to portray her in the future. orz

Reviews are most welcome!

Thanks to those who reviewed! And special thanks to **tenshi-no-akuma-81** for giving me a detailed and honest review!


	4. Is It Killua?

Inspiration: Falling Down by Muse _I already found what I was looking for. You know it wasn't you. No, it wasn't you._

**DISCLAIMER: HUNTER X HUNTER BELONGS TO YOSHIHIRO TOGASHI. I ONLY OWN PEARL. AND RUYOKI. AND I REGRET IT.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Is It Killua?**

"Pffffffft!" All the juice that I stored inside my mouth came out in a second. I could've almost sworn I can become a water host if I'm not a human being in this life. And I'd become the best one ever. The most useful and popular one there ever is. Of course, if I'm in a world of water hosts. But sadly, I'm a human being. A human being brimming with exuberance.

I turned to look at the face again. My eyes unexpectedly popped out of their sockets because of refusal to believe. My lips started forming a genuine smile. I felt all fluttery and excited like I have never met someone so enjoyable to be with before. I almost lost my grasp to reality and was unconsciously moving into a dream realm. I'm very sure I've never felt this kind of extraordinary happiness before just because I saw and met someone familiar.

I'm also very sure that I almost forgotten that Pearl blatantly lied to me about this. Nah, that doesn't matter right now. I'm too preoccupied and am just so surprised and mesmerized at the face I saw before me that I can't even concentrate at other things. And realizing that all this time, he was just sitting right next to our table made my current happiness level fluctuate again.

My happy meter varies everyday which ranges from conservative happiness to I-don't even-care-what-the-world-thinks-about-me-now rhapsody. Happiness and me don't get along this well regularly though, so seeing me like this is definitely a rare sight.

Meeting him again is _really_ unexpected. Who knew I would be seeing him for the second time? He must've entered the restaurant a few minutes before or after we did. That's the only acceptable explanation. He couldn't have teleported here, right? _Right?_

Now I'm starting to have weird assumptions.

I took a deep breath and blinked five times before fully accepting the fact that he's actually here. But I was just too delighted that I have to summon all my willpower to prevent myself from squealing. Then he looked at me and smiled and I—

"Damn you, Ruyoki!" Pearl hissed. I looked at her and saw that she's wet and sticky because of the juice. I wanted to laugh but I couldn't. I'm still frozen. I bet he saw our little incident.

"Sorry, but Pearl..."

"Let's continue this after you're done accompanying me to the rest room!" Pearl interjected. She caught my arm and dragged me violently towards the rest room. While she's doing that, I glanced at everyone inside the restaurant and saw them staring at us, definitely because of what we're doing. I covered my face with my hand and didn't try to break free from Pearl's iron grip. That'll probably make her madder at me, which probably end us up in a situation that's three hundred times much worse. As if this wasn't embarrassing enough.

"Now wait here while I wash my hair." Pearl spoke to me in such a way that I can feel her breath fuming with anger. We then entered the women's rest room and she immediately washed her hair and face. She lowered her head on the sink, which was currently filled with water and allowed her hair to be submerged and cleaned without exerting much effort.

After a few seconds of hearing the silence being filled with running water, I got impatient and stepped outside. Pearl glanced at me but didn't say a thing. I waited for her near the entrance of the women's rest room. Then I got myself busy and occupied by peeking at the table where the person I just saw sat, which is right next to ours. Weird, I can't seem remove this smile on my face. Only when I lost sight of him did I return to my normal self.

"Where'd he go?" I mused. My smile suddenly turned upside down, "He left, huh?" He must have been too embarrassed to even let himself be seen sitting beside our table. But he's not that type of guy, right? Right? I don't know!

I'm beginning to feel self-conscious and insecure, regardless of the fact that that's totally irrelative and unimportant in my current state. I should probably focus more on finding a way to escape from Pearl's evil clutches of reve—

"Hello, Ruyoki." I turned to my right and saw him. He interrupted my thoughts but I forgot to give a care about what he did. I was automatically all smiles again!

"_Kurapika_! It's nice to see you again!" I waved at him like an idiot. He just smiled at me.

"That was quite a mishap you had back there. Is your friend okay?" Kurapika still spoke in the same polite tone that I heard earlier but he now carries an air around him. Something I can't explain.

"Yeah, I think..." I answered tepidly.

Just then, Pearl came out of the rest room, her wet hair flustered all over the place. "You're not going to get out of this alive, Ruyoki—"

"Oh hi Pearl. Feeling better?" I asked in a sarcastic tone. She just glared at me. Then she noticed the guy standing beside me.

"Oh, it's the guy sitting beside our table. I knew you know each other..." She looked at him with the intention to flirt.

"AHEM!" I coughed loudly which made her jump in shock. I smirked. She rolled her eyes at me.

"This is Pearl." I said to Kurapika.

"Nice to meet you." He stretched out his hand. Pearl shook it. "My name is Kurapika. Are you feeling better now?" He then let go of her hand.

"Yeah." Pearl answered and then took out a comb out of her pocket. "Are you Ruyoki's boyfriend by any chance?" She winked at me. Kurapika looked shocked. I bet I turned crimson red.

"N-No! You're mistaken! We just met earlier this morning!" I spoke while waving and shaking my head at the same time, just to prove that Pearl has totally mistaken about us. She just smiled at how foolish I must've looked. How could I even not when I'm really desperate at trying to convincing her that she's wrong?

"Let's go back now." Kurapika suddenly said and fluently broke through my pointless denial. We followed him and we sat at our own tables. Our orders had already arrived and Pearl started digging in. I was also about to until I noticed that Kurapika hadn't ordered anything except for cup of tea since he came in, which is almost the same time we did.

"Psst!" I tried to get his attention. He heard the sound and looked at me. "You're not going to eat?" I asked while munching on my food.

He smiled faintly, "You could choke if you're eating while talking, you know. And no, not yet. I'm still waiting for my friends." He answered my question in a slightly more casual manner. I speculated that he's probably the smarty-pants type, and only when he gives pieces of advice to other people he can truly be himself. Or maybe when he just likes to share his knowledge to everyone. Or correcting someone. Perfectionist.

I then nodded at him and continued eating. Pearl had already finished eating when I finally came back to reality.

"Slow." She mocked me.

"Shut up. After this, I'll start looking for the heir. You can go home if you want." I said after I swallowed another spoonful of spaghetti. Pearl stuck her tongue out.

"Not a chance, Ruyoki-_chan_." I flinched. She sneered. "This is getting fun. I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Pearl returned to her idiotic and childish disposition. She started playing with the condiments and utensils and made musical instruments out of them. The waiter asked her to stop but she didn't comply. Kurapika glanced at us but he still remained focused at waiting for someone to appear near the entrance. My focus shifted to him immediately. I wonder, who are the persons he's waiting for?

"Kuarpika!" A voice full of zeal came from the outside the entrance. I then shifted my gaze from Pearl to the entrance and saw a boy standing near it, possibly about my age or younger, with gravity-defying spiky black hair complemented with green outlines. His golden brown eyes sparkled as he saw Kurapika. They're probably old friends who haven't met for years. He's wearing a green jacket of some sort that is matched with green shorts. He waved at him who in turn, waved back. Because of his frisky movements, I managed to see that he's wearing a black sleeveless shirt underneath. He has this friendly aura around him that attracts people around him like a magnet, with everyone immediately wanting to be his friend. It makes me want to be one too.

Pearl suddenly pinched my hand. "Ouch!" I retracted. "What was that for?"

"You've been staring at that kid in such a way that I'm afraid your eyes might droop down if I don't distract you." She sneered at me. I rolled my eyes at her and then looked towards the direction of the entrance to observe the kid standing there. He's gone. I then looked at Pearl again. She raised an eyebrow at me and then pointed at the table next to ours. I saw the boy again, chatting with Kurapika. Apparently while Pearl was trying to distract me—which she successfully did—this kid had already gone to the table beside us, the one where Kurapika sat down.

I then averted my gaze because at this distance, they'll probably notice that I'm secretly observing them. While doing so, I accidentally met Kurapika's eyes and he smiled at me.

"Ruyoki, this is Gon." He called my name like we've been friends for years. This kid, I mean, Gon started to walk near me and he reached out his hand. I took it and we shook hands.

"Hi, I'm Ruyoki." I introduced myself using a polite tone. I really have to readjust my life. This is getting ridiculous. I kept being hostile or impolite to people who deserve respect while I'm being too formal to those who actually don't care whether I'm being casual or not.

"I'm Gon!" He said with the same enthusiasm. I let go of his hand. He smiled at me and then sat down across Kurapika. "Where are the others?" Kurapika asked. I averted my eyes completely and pretended that I wasn't overhearing their conversation.

"They'll be here any minute now." Gon reassured, his voice still full of joy.

After that question, they talked about various things that were pretty trivial stuff for me. Something about the Kurta clan's scarlet eyes, Ging Freecss and many other things that I forgot or missed were all they talked about. I eventually got tired of secretly listening to their conversation and decided to invite Pearl to leave. I looked at her and saw that she was busy playing with her cellphone all this time.

"Let's go." I said while putting the payment on our table and then I stood up. Pearl fixed her now dry hair and stood up after I did. I waved bye to Kurapika and Gon and said that I really enjoyed meeting them.

Just then, two guys entered the restaurant. Gon's face immediately lit up while Kurapika remained poised. They both walked towards the table beside us and stood just beside me for a moment. The latter one who came in sat down immediately.

The first one who came in has black hair, I think, dark brown eyes, and was wearing a pair of teashade sunglasses, a dark blue formal suit and black leather shoes. He towers over me and the other customers at approximately six feet or above.

Then, about the other guy, he's possibly at the same age as me and I estimate that we have almost the same height, with him being an inch or two taller. He's definitely shorter than the previous one. I started observing from the shoes he's wearing and gradually moving my eyes up. He's somewhat more casual looking than the former. He's wearing a pair of sneakers, acid washed jeans, a blue unbuttoned polo shirt with a white t-shirt underneath. His hands are placed firmly inside his pockets. I moved up to his face and saw a couple of dark blue eyes, which I reckon is so deeply colored blue that no one could ever pierce through them. He also has wild exotic-looking silver hair.

Silver hair.

Dark blue eyes.

Silver. Hair.

Dark. Blue. Eyes.

Where have I seen this person before?

"Your target." Pearl suddenly spoke. Here she goes again.

"Who?" I asked sheepishly. She gave me a cold look.

"Ugh!" she groaned. "When will you stop forgetting things whenever you're caught up in a moment?! Here he is, Killua Zoldyck!" Pearl whispered rather loudly. Then she pointed at the guy with silver hair. He glanced at us, possibly because he heard his name.

"Kill..ua?" I can't recall anything, damn it! Pearl whacked my head. This made the people at the table beside us to look at us.

"Is something wrong, Ruyoki?" Gon asked us.

"And why did you mention my name?" Killua also questioned us with a hint of suspicion in his voice. He then looked at Gon with a raised eyebrow, probably because he's surprised to hear that Gon knew and said my name.

I couldn't answer his question. I was dumbfounded to see a very familiar face right under my nose. I looked at my left from the corner of my eye to ask for help, but then I saw no one standing beside me. Pearl had vanished from my side without a trace.

I clenched my fist and sighed to release the stress building up inside me. My grip started loosening and I felt more relaxed. "I'm sorry, nothing's wrong. And oh, is that your name? I think I've heard it before on TV." I started to slowly walk away from the table and carefully escaped.

"Killua's on TV?" The tall guy was completely shocked at the piece of info that I stated. I continued to walk away. That was actually a lie. I never heard of his name on TV before.

"Which channel?" Gon asked me, I think.

"She's lying." Killua revealed. Please brat, let me leave in peace and I'll promise you that you can die a quick death! "You're lying, aren't you?" He said to me, very serious-like. Why do people see through me today like I'm some open book? I stopped moving and sighed wearily. I then glanced at the exit and saw Pearl already outside. She's watching a butterfly flutter away from her sight as she desperately tried to catch it. She almost tripped from doing so. Sometimes I really wonder who's the real one that's older, me or her? But it's definitely her in terms of... In terms of... In terms of what exactly?

"You haven't answered my question." My thoughts were cut off again. I returned back to reality immediately. The next thing I saw is a hand waving in front of my face. I saw Killua's irritated face.

_"Why should I tell you?" I asked in a rather impolite tone. "Then don't answer." He retorted._

Instead of an answer, I gave him a smirk. "Because I hate that name." I said in a teasing voice.

"That explains everything." He smirked back. Then Killua uttered something completely irrelevant that it didn't have a chance to register in my head. After that, he returned to where he stood before going to where I am. He then patted Gon's shoulder.

"Gon, she's the bad guy. What do you say about killing her first thing in the morning?" Killua gave me his devilish smile. I ignored what he said about me and slowly headed towards the exit.

"That's wrong Killua! We just met the girl and you want to kill her already. You're still a true-blue assassin after all. I was wrong to think that you really stopped killing." Gon pouted.

"That was a joke. A joke! Come on! I was just teasing... What's your name again?" Killua looked at me and anticipated my answer.

Too bad for him, I took the chance and already exited the restaurant.

:::::::::::::::::::

"Pearl let's go!" I shouted as I walked towards where she stood. She has her back turned against me and was facing a flower bush. "You've grown tired at staring at _your_ Killua?" Pearl mocked me, still facing the bushes. I ignored her ridicule and glared at her. I was about to retort when I noticed that Pearl had caught the butterfly that she's foolishly trying to catch earlier.

"Ruyoki, it's your butterfly." She faced me and showed me her finger.

Yep, it's _the_ butterfly. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about this?" She asked with fake concern.

"Of course not." I replied with no emotion.

The one she has on her finger is a Leopard Lacewing butterfly. These butterflies are usually not found here in Padokea, so one can conclude that they're a rare sight to see here. But for me alone, everytime I see one of them, it means that something unpredictable will happen. Huh, I guess my hunch back at Kukuroo Mountain is right.

So far, I've seen five butterflies. Counting this, I've already seen six. I have a chance to see eleven Leopard Lacewing butterflies and after that, they'll disappear from my life forever.

When I reach eleven, I die. Heh, no, that's a joke.

Honestly, I don't know what'll happen if I manage to see the eleventh. I just included that to my vows and limitations so I can freely use this Nen power that I have. And to add, it's such an unnecessary plot point, if I were the one to judge.

"Oh, it flew away." Pearl frowned as she watched the butterfly disappear from sight. "Transient pretty creatures, aren't they?" She then looked at me, her eyes looking a bit brighter than usual. If it was possible, they could have even sparkled just like Gon's earlier.

"Yeah." I started walking away from the restaurant. We were already far away from there but I wanted to make sure that we were completely undetectable and out of sight.

"First you say you're going to find the heir, now you're avoiding him? What's wrong with you?" Pearl interrogated me when she finally realized what I did. She clearly made it sound like I did something _very_ awful and immoral.

"I need to locate all of my targets first before I start a job, so what's the use?" I answered her irately.

"What if they're both here?" Pearl started the game of probability again.

"Did you feel his presence or his aura?" I retorted.

"Frankly, no... But—"

"Then there's nothing to talk about." I cut through the middle of her sentence.

"Humph!" Pearl scorned, evidently irritated at my interruption.

"By the way, mom wants us to go home early." Pearl added, still grumbling.

I forgot. We have a family dinner tonight. But I guess we have to head back to the hotel first.

Ever since I met Pearl at that bookstore at the age of ten, I followed her home because I have nothing better to do. I remember that I used to work back then as some family's maid and was wearing the usual maid uniform but I tweaked mine a little, discarding the skirt and wearing shorts in the process.

And at that very moment, Pearl's parents were kind enough to take me in. They adopted me and accepted me warmly, so I was not considered homeless anymore ever since.

"You going or not?" Pearl is already far ahead of me. I started running to catch up with her.

Then suddenly, a great idea hit my head. It's related to what we discussed earlier. "Hey Pearl, by any chance, do you think the heir saw your face?" I asked her while wearing a blank expression. Pearl thought for a moment. "He must've. He glanced at us earlier, remember?" Yeah, he did.

"Then he could have suspicions about us already." I said, still maintaining the blank expression. "Yeah, so?" Pearl asked me curiously. "It'll be impossible for us to infiltrate and spy on them if they suspect us right from the beginning, correct?" I was getting excited about telling her about it and almost forgot where we're supposed to head to in the first place. "And?" Pearl inquired. She's obviously getting impatient because I refuse to get to the point of what I'm trying to say.

"It will also be hard for us to..." I trailed off upon realizing something else.

This situation is a little déjà vu-ish.

If I remember correctly, Pearl was just like this last night. I involuntarily shuddered. I just realized something horrible.

Pearl's insane attitude must be contagious! And maybe, she's secretly passing more and more of her crazy to me.

I immediately brushed away invisible particles of what I think is scientifically dust or to be exact, her lunatic particles. A worried look spread across my face. Ahh! Maybe it had already spread inside my body! And my internal organs mistook it for nutrition and immediately digested it. Shit.

"What the hell are _you_ doing, Ruyoki?" Pearl said to me with obvious surprise. I was already brushing and patting my clothes hastily.

"Oh nothing, just daily measures of removing bacteria, that's all."

"That's stupid. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" Ugh, she's right. I stopped flustering and smoothened out my clothes.

"Ahem. As you were saying..." Pearl gestured for me to continue. I regained my composure and walked a few meters ahead of Pearl. "It will be hard for us to—"

"I get it! It'll be hard for us to capture their attention!" Pearl said, her voice overflowing with it's-better-than-yours tone, "You do know that people in a relationship tell secrets with each other, right? So if I get hitched with the heir, I could tell you his secrets and stuff and you won't even have to lift a finger! Don't worry it's okay for me because you'll be sharing the pay with me, right—"

"_SHUT UP!_" I yelled.

I'm fed up with her yakking. Plus her idea's not even close and it's too dangerous. We even don't know the heir's Nen abilities and knowing the fact that he's a prodigy, we could easily assume that he's excellent at what he does, or what he _used_ to do. Gon mentioned something about him already retired from assassination, so yeah.

"Don't risk your life." My voice was filled with absolute horror for what might happen that it made me feel unusually vulnerable. Pearl gave me a reassuring smile.

"Is he that dangerous?" She asked me in such a soothing voice that it made me hesitate if I should really tell her my awesome and ingenious plan. "So what is your real idea? Get to the point." Pearl didn't wait for my answer.

Well, it's now or never.

My face switched from worry to absolute ecstasy again. Pearl just blinked at me and then raised an eyebrow. I flashed her a sly grin.

"What if I pretend to be a boy?"

* * *

**A/N:**_ I'm falling down, and fifteen thousand people scream. They were all begging for your dream.  
I'm falling down, Five thousand houses burning down. No-one is gonna save this town._

Can't freakin' stop singing! Anyways, I still don't get it. Do Pearl and Ruyoki have complicated personalities? Do you think they're crazy? Whatever, who cares.

Now, ANSWER THIS! Do you like where this is going? Is the ending unexpected or abrupt? Are the canons too OOC?  
Review please, it is a must. They help me update faster and improve more quickly. And also because I want to hear your opinions.  
By the way, thank you to those who reviewed, namely** Hana-tachi **and** animecybil**.


	5. Before Night Time

Inspiration: The A Team by Ed Sheeran _But lately her face seems slowly sinking, wasting, crumbling like_ _pastries._

I think this chapter's a filler or whatever but I'm still hoping you'll enjoy it.

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HUNTER X HUNTER. I ONLY OWN MY OCs.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Before Night Time**

"A boy?"

"Yup!"

And before I knew it, there's a sharp pain rapidly spreading from the back of my head to my forehead. For a second there, I thought I got beheaded that I half-expected to see my face against the dry and lifeless ground. But fortunately, I'm sturdy enough to hold onto my head. Yet, it—the pain—was so painful that it made me fall down on my knees.

Shit.

The pain even made my eyes water and resulted in making my eyes show me nothing but a big jelly like blob of distorted and weird-looking landscapes. Pearl must've used her full strength on hitting me with no trace of holding back. I rubbed my forehead slowly in hopes of easing the pain, which isn't exactly working. I then tried to squeeze in some sense in the action she just did to me and concluded that she must've hit me because of pointless and exaggerated shock. What a big surprise. I should really allow myself to get used with Pearl's irrationality.

When the pain had subsided, which only took a mere five minutes, I stood up slowly and looked straight at Pearl. She was just observing me the whole time I was in pain. There's even a fixed smile glued on her face.

She's enjoying this?! Damn sadist.

"Are you thinking straight now, Ruyoki?" She asked me in a very serious-like tone and was still smiling, mocking me and emphasizing how weak I seemed to her. I glared at her.

"I _was_." I replied, irritated. "What did you freakin' do?" Even though I already know, I was just insanely irritated at Pearl that I can't contain myself. She doesn't have to go to such lengths in order to help me realize my irrationality. What she did was a really unnecessary action. Really, really pointless. Absolutely irrelevant.

Besides, I wasn't being exactly irrational. I thought through my plan with the elements of something like... concealed stupidity.

"You're being unreasonable." Pearl still maintained that serious tone that it made my eye twitch, "And if you still haven't guessed it yet, I hit you in the head." I know, smart-ass. "God, all those stupidity you're ingesting must've clouded your judgement!"

"Guess who's the supplier?" I retorted as a last resort. I then quickly surveyed the place where we're walking. It was something like a secluded park. Maybe we walked through the outskirts of Kukuroo mountain by accident.

I then looked at Pearl again and heard nothing but silence. She's probably speechless at the moment and decided to quiet down at last. If she's too dumb to realize who I'm referring to, then there is no hope in saving her from dying with too much stupidity. Absolutely none. I'm sure of it.

I tried to remember the reason why we argued in the first place and came upon the conclusion that it was all just pure nonsense. This so-called exchange of words is pure senseless talk between dumb and dumber.

I've decided. I don't want to continue on with this pointless argument anymore, knowing that Pearl's the one I'm fighting with. She'll just speak on and on without a care in the world. She doesn't even try to act politely during a debate and arguments like this and will bluntly get straight to her point. She even literally flames her opponents if they're starting to piss her off. Doesn't matter if she's arguing with a complete stranger or a relative. There are no exceptions.

Ugh, usually, she's like this if we're talking about her love interests, but Milluki's an unexpected exception. Pearl's not arguing like crazy when Milluki's the topic and I disagree with her preferences, mainly because I have discovered that bit of information just last night.

"Tch. At least think about it, okay?" She finally spoke and sounded like she's my mom. Sure, she's older and all, but not old enough to become my mother. And we have a mother already for heaven's sake!

"Why? It's a good idea." I was aimlessly taunting her.

"No, it's not! Damn it, Ruyoki! When will you ever get it?!" Then she stomped angrily pass me.

"What do I don't get?" I asked, obviously puzzled. What is she blabbing about now? Please make sense, just this once.

"You're not thinking about the consequences..." She said sheepishly. Consequences? As far as I know, there were none.

"What's on your mind?" I sounded like Facebook, if it were to have a voice over.

"Well, you're not thinking about the future of your onee-san." She still held unto that innocent voice. And what the heck?! I've never called her onee-san before because she says it's too formal, but now..?!

She lost her marbles. And is undeniably vacuous. And full of nonsense. There's no doubting it.

Pitiful. Simply pitiful.

"Onee-san?" I repeated, "Who's that?" I said sarcastically.

"How _dare_ you!" She pointed at me accusingly.

What an exaggerated reply. After that, Pearl walked farther away from me, taking all the drama and moodiness with her. The sky suddenly darkened, as if summoned on cue by Pearl. I looked at her and saw that there are literally black and surly thunder clouds floating on top of her head, overshadowing the ground she walks on. It made the scenery very grim and gloomy. It's almost frightening.

Is she that affected by my decision? And what's up with this excessive and over-dramatic description? I let out a long sigh. Maybe it's about time I stop toying with her.

"Hey!" I yelled at her. She stopped walking and turned to face me. Her eyes glinted a hint of splenetic light. Ugh, mood swings.

"PMS?" I jeered.

"If you got nothing better to say, kindly shut fuck the up." She ignored the question and continued walking.

Ouch, that was some harsh language. I guess that's partly my fault. Or it is my fault. Okay, okay! I'm really going to stop teasing. Starting now.

"Hey!" I yelled again. She ignored me. As expected. "Hey!" She still continued walking away and paid me no attention. One more time.

"HEY!" I ran to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Pearl stopped for a moment and shook my hand off.

"Geez, what's with you? Why are you being unresponsive?"

"Maybe because my sister lacks the brains to understand simple things." She said in an annoyed tone, her voice was tinged with contempt. I've never heard her address me as "her sister" before. All I knew is that she calls me adopted imoto in front of her friends. Pearl continued walking away like the drama queen she is. This violent mood swings must stop, or else I'm going to blow a fuse. I hate to admit it but, I really prefer the dumb and happy-go-lucky Pearl over this.

"Pearl, if you're not going to goddamn explain your nonsensical behavior, you're going to die." I threatened, my eyes glowing with malevolence. And I swear, that threat was absolutely not empty. I can kill her in a blink of an eye. I did it before, I can do it again. I can _surely_ do it again.

She immediately stopped walking. Good.

"It's because..." She begun. The clouds overshadowing her disappeared. Pearl turned to face me and was wearing a frown. I stared into her eyes and silently anticipated her next move.

"...you are so unbelievably dense Ruyoki. If you dress up as a boy, _I could fall in love with you_." I was shocked for a moment and refused to believe. Maybe she's pulling my leg. But then, I saw the seriousness in her eyes. No, she must be kidding me. Then I saw the seriousness again. She means it.

After giving up and finally accepting the very uncompelling and illogical reason that she presented, I felt something build up inside me. Something like scalding water, boiling from the depths of my heart.

Anger. And more _horrifying_ anger. And then, I found myself already mentally screaming.

THAT'S IT?! THAT'S FREAKIN' IT?! THAT'S SERIOUSLY IT?! YOU'RE KIDDING ME RIGHT?! HOW CAN YOU BE THAT SHALLOW?! DID YOU HIT YOUR HEAD TOO HARD AGAIN?! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU EVEN SCATTER YOUR BRAINS THIS TIME?!

So... Infuriating! I wasted half a minute by simply coping with my anger and managed to convince myself to speak. Otherwise, Pearl would think that I'm tolerating her insignificant excuses.

After that, I coughed mildly and said, "The hell Pearl?! That's it?! You wasted half of the space telling us in explicit detail about how upset you are and how you strongly disagree to my plan and then you end it all just by saying that you might fall in love with me?! Who's being clearly unreasonable now?! And, that's sick! _You're_ sick! Damn it, how can you be so idiotic as to stoop so low and commit incest yourself?!" I yelled and screamed and clutched at my hair then flipped it all away just to express how angry and furious I am. I even kicked everything that lied within a two-meter range erratically. Every single word she said afterwards came in to my ear and exited through the other that I can't even recall a single thought. Damn, I was so ticked off that I didn't manage to remain my composure.

I can even feel my body becoming lighter, like my soul is starting to get ripped off my body. Everything's spinning.

"Ruyoki, listen to me. You're beginning to submit yourself to the power again. Wake up." My sight's becoming hazy. Pearl was shaking me. Luckily, in a matter of seconds, I felt normal again. She let go off me like I was something very fragile. I straightened up and looked at her.

"Now where was I..." Pearl mused, "Ah, yes. First of all, it is not incest because technically, we're not even blood related. Second, it's really not incest because it's just 'falling in love', maybe not a familial one but in a romantic way and, we're not going to commit anything anyway. Third, even if you want to be a boy just so that your job can be done without a hitch, it will still be biologically impossible." Pearl finally stopped talking in such a fast pace and started gasping for air.

"Whatever." I replied, not really putting much thought about her reasons. They weren't even reasons on why she doesn't like the plan. She was just defending my accusation of incest. However, the third one surprisingly made sense. Now that's a reason. Little did she know that I've already planned it all out.

I snickered at how clueless she is. Pearl tilted her head and stared at me. "You lost it? Are my reasons even funny?"

"No, it's not that." I stopped giggling. "So you're wondering how I can even become a boy? It's certainly biologically impossible, but there's still a way..."

I took out a knife. It was the one that Pearl always carries clandestinely whenever and wherever she goes out.

"H-how did you—" Pearl stuttered. I gave her a faint smile and then I cut my hair up to the nape of my neck.

"Ah! Ruyoki, No..!" She ran towards me and snatched away the knife I'm holding. The knife stealthily gashed my hand as Pearl stole it away with such quickness that I bet it can rival the infamous speed of light.

Her eyes popped out in surprise and fright at the sight of my deep wound.

Blood was now dripping freely from my hand, flowing endlessly like a river. A red colored river. It was painful. That horrible stinging pain in my palm almost drove me close to insanity but I managed to remain calm. I can see the torn flesh and it only caused me more suffering.

"I'm sorry!" Pearl immediately put her hand over mine. She closed her eyes and concentrated. I watched here silently and am slowly becoming aware that my wound is closing. The stinging sensation and unbearable pain had already lessened and the bleeding stopped. I can also feel Nen flowing in my veins, joining in with my bloodstream, rapidly circulating around my body. It seems like I'm becoming more and more powerful and flexible, when in reality, I was just being healed. In less than 15 seconds, my hand is completely healed. Yep, that's Pearl's power, which I forgot to mention that I also knew.

"Are you okay now?" Worry overwhelmed her voice.

"Yeah." I answered with my voice two pitches lower than usual. She squinted at me and walked away. "It's not funny. You don't even look like a boy." Pearl uttered as she hid her knife.

"Don't be dismayed. I will cut it shorter later." I winked at her, disregarding the fact that she's not facing me. I bent down and piled up the fallen hair. I then did my best to tidy it up and put it all in a plastic bag I also just picked up. Then I skipped happily towards Pearl.

"Wherever shall we go again?" I asked, still using the low-pitched voice. I noticed Pearl wince.

"Hotel. We're going to get ready for tonight." Pearl starting walking past the exit of the park to the side of the road where she hailed a taxi. We stepped inside it and then Pearl gave directions. The taxi then proceeded to drive us towards the hotel. Afterwards, neither the driver nor Pearl utter a word. I chose to remain quiet as well and the road trip was filled with a fathomlessly deafening silence. Well, at least before we got caught up in traffic.

"By the way, tell mom I won't be able to go to the family dinner." I said while we're halfway there, I think. "Why?" Pearl asked, now sounding and appearing more like her normal self. "I'm going to practice being a boy." I enthused. "Ugh! Not this again." She banged her head against the glass window. I giggled.

:::::::::::::::::::

"Mom would be fuming mad at you." Pearl lectured me as we enter. I glanced at my wristwatch. It was almost 5:00 P.M. We wasted that much time?!

"Ah whatever! Tomorrow's first day of the job. I gotta be prepared." I said in a melodramatic manner.

"Have it your way. You're not thinking about _me_ again." She whined and pouted. I ignored it.

"Oh yeah! Call me 'Roy' from now on." I used the low-pitched voice. Pearl glared at me.

"So, is your target one of the Zoldyck children?" Pearl changed the subject. "Yeah, but I didn't see him in the picture." I recalled the time when I found the photo. There were only four children with Kikyo, but there's someone at the back seemingly waving and walking away from them when that photo was taken.

"They're all males, right?" Pearl sounded uncertain. "Yeah, so?" I asked indifferently. "Nothing..." I raised an eyebrow at her. Pearl avoided my eyes.

We walked towards the reception desk and Pearl talked about something regarding our rooms. My eyes kept straying away from what they're discussing about. From the corner of my eye, I saw someone...

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Where are you?"

I observed him walk around the lobby. He's anxiously trying to find someone and was nearing tears. "Come on _Roy_, let's go." Pearl specially stressed the mention of my fake name and gave me a pat on the shoulder. It's a relief she's already going along with my plan, I can't go yet unless I help that kid. There's something about him that makes me extraordinarily curious. I looked at Pearl for consent. "It's him." She mouthed. I was momentarily frozen by shock and nervousness but I eventually walked towards the kid. He was roaming around the lobby aimlessly and kept repeating the word "onii-chan."

Alluka. Alluka _Zoldyck_. The "valuable piece of information."

I noticed that he has long, black and uneven hair, covering half of his back. He's wearing casual clothes.

"Uhm, hello." I greeted as I walked towards Alluka. He stopped walking and turn to face me. There's this unexplainable mixture of worry, sadness, distress and happiness on his face. Maybe the last one is because he found someone willing to help him.

"Who are you?" He rubbed his eyes.

I adjusted my voice to the low-pitched one and answered, "I'm Roy. Looking for someone?" I smiled faintly. He nodded at me slowly. "Are you currently staying here?" I asked while slowly adapting to the new sound of my voice.

"Yeah, me and onii-chan moved here because someone is out to get _me_." Get him? Why?

"I see." I tried to not pry in too much. I'll take things slowly. I'll found out why sooner or later anyway. Events will unfold by themselves naturally somehow.

"I'll help you find 'him.'" I stated in a clear low-pitched voice.

We then started walking around the area, inside the restaurant and even in the men's restroom, which made me feel uncomfortable. I kept imagining his "onii-chan's" expression when he sees me. Will he be fooled or not? Will he recognize me or not? Will he.. Oh damn it! I'm still wearing my clothes, not that I usually walk around nude.

I ran towards the men's restroom again while half-dragging Alluka along with me. I then secretly wished that please, please let "onii-chan" be someone else. It'll be easier to spy on him if I'm his only company. It'll be easier if "he" doesn't show up. Ugh, why am I contradicting myself?! I pretended to be a boy because of these circumstances in the first place and now I'm running away from the problem. So much for being a spy.

We entered the men's restroom again. I still feel uncomfortable, but I should probably get used to it. I'm going to pretend to be a boy after all.

"Wait here." I positioned Alluka beside me. I took out the knife that Pearl owns from inside the hem of my blazer. I bet she still hasn't realized that I borrowed it from her without permission for the second time today.

Alluka was not paying me any attention. He was silently thinking to himself, probably guessing where his "onii-chan" must be at the moment. He moved a few steps away from me and stood near the door.

I stared at my reflection on the mirror. I'm still not that male-looking.

After predicting what might happen if I do this and that, I then cut my hair shorter that it seemed a little too loose for a boy's haircut. The knife's really sharp and it cuts and snips well, just like a good pair of scissors.

I then fixed my focus at my clothes. Fortunately, I'm wearing a long-sleeved blouse, a blazer and black-colored pants. They can easily pass off as male clothes but they're too familiar. Hmm, I can fix this. I cut my sleeves of my blazer but I remained my pants untouched. I folded my blouse's sleeves until it looked like I'm wearing a black polo shirt.

After a another set of minor adjustments, I looked at my reflection on the mirror and observed every change that donned upon me.

My eye twitched.

I looked stupid, I guess.

But when it comes to figure, I'm safe. It's a good thing my physique is greatly hidden by the clothes I'm wearing.

I then took out my handkerchief and piled up the fallen hair and excess fabric and threw them all away.

I then noticed the sudden lack of people coming in and out the men's rest room. I wonder why not many people use this restroom? Probably because this restroom is currently located at the furthermost part of the outdoor pool and restaurant. Wow, I dragged him this far and he didn't even complain about it. How mortifying. But maybe he did, because we got sidetracked while we're still searching for his beloved onii-chan.

I glanced at my wristwatch. I spent only five minutes.

"Do you think onii-chan is here?" Alluka stepped outside the rest room. I then walked towards him. He was now bobbing his head left and right.

"Probably. Let's continue the search." I said with an inviting smile.

He looked at me and noticed the changes but didn't say a thing about it.

We searched around the pool carefully, made our way around the outdoor restaurant but eventually returned inside the hotel dejected. Then we walked around the lobby, on the second floor, shuffled on the third floor and so on but eventually went down again. I was getting tired and so was he.

"Why'd he left you alone here anyway?" I asked impulsively while wiping the seat off my forehead.

Alluka looked at me with those honest eyes. "Onii-chan says he'd only be gone for three hours so I agreed on staying here but—"

"There you are!" A familiar voice chimed in. It came from the opposite direction of where we stood. I cringed.

Alluka grabbed my arm and turned us around. "Onii-chan!" Alluka smiled at him. I didn't say anything.

I have nothing to say to that _bastard_.

"This is Roy!" Alluka unexpectedly introduced me. "He helped me find you, but it looks like you found us." He then smiled sweetly at the person in front of us.

"Thank you for accompanying Alluka while I was gone. I'm Killua." He looked at my face and stared intently at my eyes, "You look strangely familiar." I swallowed twice to clear my throat. I then put my hands in my front pockets.

"No, you must be mistaken." I answered using my other voice. He stared at me for a second longer and then he turned to Alluka. "Do you..." He paused then turned to face me again.

"Ah, what's her name again?" He scratched his head. I was getting a little impatient and was planning to excuse myself to go back to my room.

"Do you know.. Ruyoki?"

* * *

**A/N:** By the way, this chapter's not my idea. It's Friki's. I'm losing my creativity. I think I need a beta reader. Friki's just so boring. PM me if you want to help me. If not, then don't.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has reviewed this story so far. Thank you very much Guests with the pen name "**H**" and "**Momoka S**", **the-ultimate-star**, **miwakulau1208**,** tenshi-no-akuma-81 **(AGAIN),** Hana-tachi **(AGAIN), **animecybil** (AGAIN), **Kareru-chan**, **Pandora Destiny**, **Primavera05 **and** tifa2001 **PLUS!** My silent readers **and the reviewers from the dark,** renagal42 **and** Mizala.** And here are my answers to those guys who have questions:

For H, Chapter three gives you hints on how old they really are. I hope everybody's willing to do the math.

For Hana-tachi, Sure, why not? :D

For Kareru-chan, Yes, I like death. It's mysterious.~ :X

Extra, extra!

For Primavera05, Yo Super L! You're overreacting! XD Kidding. :P

Reviews are whatever. Review if it's bad and I should feel bad. Review if you like puking rainbows. Review if you don't read my author's notes. Review if mah mama is so fat. Review if you like Oppa Gangnam Style. Review if the story sucks. Review if you like it, too. Review if you want to review. No pressure.

Of course, I always appreciate them. :)

That is all.


	6. Let's Chat!

Inspiration: Oh Love by Green Day _Talk myself out of feeling_. _Talk my way out of control._

**DISCLAIMER: LET'S FACE IT. NO ONE IS EVER GOING TO OWN HUNTER X HUNTER EXCEPT TOGASHI.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Let's Chat!**

"Do you know... Ruyoki?"

_And ladies and gentlemen, here is the final question! Contestants, if you can answer this correctly, you'll go home wearing a victorious smile and ten mill-i-on dol-lars!_

I could imagine someone popping from the background and yelling stuff like that, complete with the hackneyed accent and a blinding smile. I can almost see that annoying host in front of us. And at that moment, my legs would shake nonstop and my teeth would probably chatter nervously. I would bite my nails off my fingers which would lead me being immediately diagnosed of having onychophagia—an unhealthy impulse control disorder.

Heh, I guess that would be the feeling once you're participating in a game show.

Weird, I'm not inside one, yet I'm feeling the exact same things. But somehow, I managed to be completely stolid and avoided doing those.

"W-why do you ask?" I stammered. The feeling of being in a game show began to surface.

"No reason." He replied dispassionately. I hate how he seemed to have already expected my response to his question.

"So, do you know Ruyoki by any chance?" He repeated the question.

The scenery changed completely. Now I'm feeling like I'm a witness-slash-suspect of some crime and the police are inquiring me about it. And then, they ask me questions about random things to try and make things comfortable for me while still holding on to the hidden intention of uncovering my secrets.

"Hey, it's not a trick question." Killua gave me a teasing smile. He's getting the reaction he wanted. Ha, I didn't expect he'd read this much into this. He sure is smart.

I reluctantly twitched my fingers. This unbearable feeling is killing me that pretty soon I'll end up being swallowed whole. I can't lock eyes with him or else, I'll end up running for my life and digging under the bare earth.

But I did.

He was staring at me with a puzzled look.

I then anxiously scratched my head, attempting to look dumb and clueless but my fingers were trembling that I almost didn't succeed in scratching. While watching me intently, Killua gave me a faint yet evil smile, as if he expected my edgy reaction and gesture.

Oh damn it, someone _please_ help me.

I searched for Pearl through my limited field of vision while hoping she could bail me out of this. But of course, she's gone again. Whoop-dee-freaking-doo.

I don't like confrontations. That's one of the reasons I became a spy. But life is cruel. It has put me outside my comfort zone intentionally. Amid this uncomfortable atmosphere, I tried my best to think of an answer; an answer which will be able to put me back to where I'm used to. I kept repeating in my head that whether my plan is successful or not will not be dependent on this. I also tried convincing myself that I was not caught off-guard and that I always knew he would sooner or later ask about this. Ha, as if that'll work. Lying to myself usually doesn't.

The clock is ticking.

A few seconds passed in dead silence. It's getting noisier in here but the increasing number of people moving around us didn't matter. The atmosphere is still tranquil.

I looked down and finally tried to think of the safest answer possible. But just when I almost caught the single most perfect reply, it escaped me. So much for a million dollars. So much for being innocent.

After another unbearable second passed, I finally sighed as a sign of defeat. I closed my eyes and then, without thinking for a second and allowing another minute to pass, I finally answered. I can feel the corner of my lips form a smile involuntarily.

"Yeah." Shit! Wrong answer, wrong answer. That isn't what I wanted to say. I let that word accidentally fly out my mouth. I initially thought I was about to say "No, who is that?" but no, my brain wanted to keep playing with me and embarrassing me in front of my targets again. Sigh, now I'm left with no other choice but to continue on. But wait, how do I explain to him how I met Ruyoki? There's no doubt that he'll ask about that and it's best if I should get prepare for it now.

And also, what if he ends up having suspicions about my gender? More importantly, what will he do to check if I'm really a boy?! Aren't I taking this too far? Instead of trying to take it slowly as possible, I'm rushing into situations that will probably make me end up entangled deeper in this web of lies I created. Darn it!

"Oh, I see. " He paused. Surprisingly, he didn't try to dig deeper and that made me feel kind of relieved. But the battle is not over yet.

"Tell you what, why don't you join me and onii-chan for dinner?" Alluka grinned. Onward to the next situation.

"You agree, onii-chan?"

"Yeah, sure." Killua answered with a faint smile on his face. Alluka's face brightened and turned to me.

"No, thank you." I said apologetically, "I have to go to my room now."

"I insist." Alluka pulled my arm. "Consider it as a thank you gift for helping me find onii-chan." He looked at Killua.

"Um.."

"So let's go!" Alluka pulled my arm and started walking.

I heard Killua sigh.

We arrived at the restaurant and the waiter led us to a table outside. But Alluka had a different idea. He dragged us towards the table near the pool.

"Hi, we'll be sitting here!" He waved at the waiter who seemed to be hopelessly confused.

"Ah, okay." He walked towards where we are. He then spread three menus across the table. Each of us got one and raised them up to eye level.

"What will be your orders?"

"The usual." Killua stated emotionlessly after putting the menu down. Alluka nodded, marking that he'll have the same. Are they regulars here? How long have they been here?

"And you sir?" The waiter turned to me.

"Uh, this one." I pointed at a picture because I can't read what it's called. Killua smirked for some reason.

"Oh, the andouillette." Whatever it's called. "Your orders will be here in thirty minutes." He started writing on his notepad.

"Anything else?" Alluka and Killua exchanged glances then they both turned to me. I slightly shook my head. The waiter nodded.

"Any refreshments?"

"The usual." Killua repeated. Alluka smiled at him. I pored over the menu again and searched for something pronounceable.

"Iced tea please." I said after giving up on trying to pronounce these fancy sounding names. I bet they're really exaggerating the names they call these dishes. They're probably in contrast with the actual meal; Simply normal, nothing special.

Then the waiter nodded again and left us alone.

Silence befell upon us. Must be because we're hungry and dared not to waste energy talking.

In the meantime, I looked around me and saw the glittering surface of the pool. The water seemed as smooth as glass. Everything looked immaculately still, and it was unbelievable. The moon gently glowed and it reflected on the surface divinely like it was just floating right above it all this time. Wait. The moon.

Why is it so blurry? I lowered my eyes for a moment and tried to readjust my eyes.

"Hey." I found myself staring at the ground. I looked up and saw Alluka facing me but the word didn't came from him.

"The food you ordered contained chitterlings." Killua spoke while not facing me.

"Chitterlings?" What the heck are those?

"You know, pig intestines." He replied casually. I just lost my appetite.

"On second thought, I'm not hungry anymore." I covered my mouth.

"I'm paying for our food, so don't let it all go to waste." Killua snapped at me. He's paying? Really?! Damn, I should've ordered many dishes. Too bad I can't read any of the names written on the menu. And to add insult to injury, I ordered something outstandingly unique.

"What did you order? What's 'the usual'?" I asked after forcing myself to swallow _something_.

"Choucroute garnie."

"And what in the world is _that_?"

"Something delicious." Alluka cupped his face with his hands and smiled at me.

"What else could you expect from French food?" Killua rolled his eyes at me. No shit.

A waiter went to us and brought our beverages. They were placed in fancy looking glasses that even a mere iced tea looked delicious. Of course, what the two people in front of me ordered was way better.

"You really remind me of someone." Killua spoke again while narrowing his eyes on me. My vision suddenly got blurry. Tension shot up immediately, yet the air around us seemed unbearably placid and.. empty. My body felt constricted and I can't move. It's like I grew roots that dig deeper below the ground. No earthquake could waver me away.

"You know Ruyoki right? How long have you met her?"

"Since the day we're born," I said it in such a way that I could almost convince myself that Ruyoki is indeed a different person. "We're twins." I added.

"Oh yeah? So that explains the resemblance," He clasped his hands at the back of his head.

"Why the sudden curiosity about me and _my sister_?" I raised an eyebrow.

He pursed his lips and looked away. "No particular reason whatsoever." Overly defensive. Caught you red-handed, didn't I?

A waiter approached us again and brought us our food. All of us immediately started eating.

Hmm, mine's peculiarly delicious. I thought wrong about pig intestines.

"Have you met her before? How?" I asked after swallowing my dinner. He does obviously, but I want to make sure _when_. I don't care how.

"I met her earlier today." He said that in a very implicit way, making sure to dismiss any ideas I conceived about me, er, "Ruyoki" and him earlier. From the way he sounds right now, I can tell that he's trying to be careful with his choice of words. Apparently, he holds a little suspicion about me.

To be honest, I was expecting him to say, "I met her earlier today at a restaurant near where I used to live. She first caught my attention when I heard her mention my name several times and that goddamn made me curious. When I asked her about it, she refuses to talk. I then tried threatening her life because I was bored. She tried escaping from my clutches but I didn't permit her to leave the restaurant just yet. But somehow, she did." I would've have punched him so hard that his whole body would disintegrate that moment my fist made contact with his skin if that was what he _did_ say. But then again, that would certainly blow my cover. Good thing he didn't.

"To you the truth, you both wore almost similar clothes." Killua added while playing with a straw.

"That's because we just came home from work."

"And that's your uniform?"

"Apparently. Are you _that_ interested in Ruyoki?" I sneered.

"Are you a Hunter?" He asked, attempting to change the topic.

"Don't change the subject." I said firmly.

"No, really. I'm serious." He looked at me gravely and solemnly.

"Yes." I showed him my license that I always carry everywhere I go. There's no name written there anyway so he has the free will to even suspect me of stealing it.

"Oh..." He paused and looked at me straight in the eye. It's almost like all this time he's just trying to see his reflection in my eyes. "It's safe to tell you, then..." He murmured. I pretended to not have heard his last remark.

"I want to ask you something." Killua spoke again after a brief silence. The air around him shifted to something a little more unbearable and serious.

"What is it?" Alluka chimed in curiously. I almost forgot he was even here until he spoke up again.

From the way he sounded, he definitely has no idea of what's happening. I think he was just patiently waiting for a moment to speak. Then he found his chance and took it by asking a simple everyday question. Who can blame him for lacking interest in the subject we're talking about? I bet he isn't the least bit interested in knowing that I have a twin sister and we work at a cosplay café. I admire his attempt to jump to another subject. It had successfully cleared the tension building up around us. Before I knew it, I was smiling timorously. Killua noticed me smile but avoided making remarks about it.

"Nothing." He sighed. In the end, he didn't ask me anything else anymore. He stopped staring at me and turned to Alluka, who in turn smiled at him. I silently observed them without trying to bother them. From this scene alone, one could guess that Killua would do anything just so that Alluka's life is secured. They really have a tender and pure brotherly love. Alluka looked from his brother to me and kept on smiled.

Then I felt my phone vibrate. I checked it out and saw that it was from a private number. I deleted the message and put my phone away.

"Stay a while longer Roy! Besides, you're not done with your meal yet." I looked at his face and the smile pasted on it. His smile is so warm and sincere that anyone would surely do anything just to protect that smile.

I returned that smile of his and stated, "It was fun! But I have to go. Sorry." I waved at them and was prepared to leave until I saw Killua's expression. Concern and worry are evident on his face. Why? Is there something wrong? Or to be more specific, did I do something wrong?

"What's the matter?" I asked then afterwards, I felt something vibrate in my pocket. I took out my cellphone while I waited for Killua's answer. A message from Pearl.

"No?" Alluka spoke unexpectedly that it almost made me jump. "Who are you texting? Let me see." Now he's unexpectedly wanting to do things that would be considered weird and awkward if done with a person you just met and spent only a few hours with.

"Pearl." I then lowered my cellphone and let Alluka see what's written on screen. I don't mind. All that's written was Pearl asking me to come to my room.

"Why?" Alluka asked me after reading.

"Because I should go and do something for her." I spoke a white lie. It wouldn't hurt anybody if I kept lying and pretending, right? It's all for the sake of the job. Those not concerned with this matter will not even be bothered by what I'm doing. Besides, I'll just have to continue on doing this until the Zoldycks are satisfied with all the reports I'll be sending them every month.

Wait, what if the job continues on up to two years? I've never had to lie so often in my life before. And in addition, I'll be stuck on this dead end job where I'll just keep sending my bosses daily reports with the same content. Not a soul has lived without having to experience the same kind of routine everyday and that what makes writing this report boring. And just to make things worse, I'm going to write every single thing that happens in their lives—their daily habits, interactions, people they talk to, where they eat, sleep, have fun etc.—with explicit detail, even if what I'll be sending are things I have already written _before_.

Why exactly am I spying on them again? Of course, I was offered to do this and I accepted, but _why_? Are they just using me because even they can't control their rebellious heir? And they are passing on the job to someone who had only been recurrently working for them just two years ago?

Why am I focusing on the wrong topic again?

I then looked at the said rebellious heir. I don't understand. Now he can't avoid his gaze to Alluka. There _is_ something bothering him and it's evident on his eyes. Does he think I will kidnap Alluka or something?

"Something wrong Killua?" I asked.

"Nothing, let's go Alluka." He caught Alluka's hand, stood up and pulled him away from me.

"Eh?" Alluka is obviously surprised at the action Killua just did but went along with it anyway. He waved at me as they walked farther away. I waved back carefully. From that distance, I can still see if they make any weird or sudden movements.

I kept staring at them as they go. Alluka felt my gaze, turned to face me and mouthed, "I'll be back to play with you!" with his smile still fixed in place. I nodded at him when suddenly, Killua gave me a sharp and piercing glance that I regretted doing it.

I don't recall doing anything wrong. Could it be that he saw through me? No, impossible. There must be another reason I can't figure out. It might not have anything to do with me.

But still, what the hell is wrong with these people?

:::::::::::::::::::

I went to the fourth floor using the elevator and headed straight towards Pearl's hotel room.

Before I got the chance to knock on her door, Pearl opened it and pulled me in hurriedly. Once I was inside, I noticed that the room is unusually dark. Only the screen of her laptop gave light but it didn't manage to illuminated the entire room, so it was still murky inside here.

"What are you doing?" I asked the figure sitting in front of the laptop.

"Shh!" Pearl placed a finger on her lips and looked at me, and immediately after, she returned to face the screen again.

I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness then I walked towards where she sat. I then sat down just right beside her and looked at what she's doing.

"What is that?" I asked while rubbing my left eye because I'm being blinded by the unsuspecting light.

"A mafia community website." I looked at the screen and saw that it was like some sort of an instant messenger. Pearl continued typing something that seems to be written in some sort of code and I can't decipher it. Well, who's even interested to know their conversation? For all I know, they could also be talking about the same things they are writing, and there isn't really any code!

Then everything seemed vague. I thought my eyes have already adjusted to the darkness? I blink twice and nothing happened. I blink a few more times and everything went back to normal.

"Listen closely Ruyoki." Pearl pinched my arm. I retracted and rubbed the area she pinched silently.

"What?" I asked while I was still busy rubbing the pain away. I looked at the screen to see if there's something on it that she wants me to know.

"It's about your target, Alluka." Pearl answered, her eyes still fixed on the screen.

"So, what about him? And why are you in a chat room talking nonsense with someone. Listen to this: 'The cow farted on the moon and landed on my chicken dinner.'" I can't help but giggle while I read what Pearl has typed down. Pfft. Complete nonsense. She ignored my remark and kept on typing these kinds of sentences.

"And he replies, 'My dog peed on my bed and I swam on it.' That one's pretty gross. Are you sure you two are understanding each other?" I received nothing but Pearl's hand in front of my face.

"Someone from the Zoldyck family is wanted by the mafia. Reason? Powers that can give anything you want." Pearl talked to me like her life depended on it. I can see that her hands are trembling for some unknown reason. So that's the "someone" my targets are running away from. But who's the "someone from the Zoldyck family"? I doubt it's even one of the current assassins of the family. Killua? Alluka? I doubt it's Killua. So, Alluka.

Alluka has that kind of Nen Ability? That's so cool. But how did the mafia know all these things about him? Is Killua selling his own brother? Or are the _other_ Zoldycks selling him? Or are there others spying on them?

"Wait, who are you talking to and why are your hands trembling?" I asked as I took Pearl's right hand. It's as cold as ice.

"Are you nervous?" I'll probably get a sarcastic answer from her but who cares, I want to make sure. "Is he blackmailing you?"

"I'm okay. I'm talking to a trusted business partner after all." She took back her hand and went on typing. I lost interest in their conversation.

I have already stopped paying attention to their conversation minutes ago but when I looked at the screen again, I saw that the person Pearl's chatting with gave her a web link. I looked at Pearl and saw her face expressionless but it's tinged with worry. I wonder what's going on in her head? And furthermore, what are they talking about exactly? That intrigued me.

"Yo, Pearl. Open the link." I pointed at the latest message. Pearl was already typing a paragraph full of nonsensical and ridiculous-sounding sentences. She then paused after a few seconds and proceeded to open the link.

While she's waiting for the website to load, I stood up and turned on the lights of her room. I can see that Pearl room's unexpectedly tidy. Definitely not like the last time I saw it.

While Pearl was now busy reading the contents within the webpage, I glanced at my watch. It's already 6:34 P.M. Then I searched my pockets and looked for a bubble gum. Oh, here it is.

"Ruyoki, the page has loaded." Pearl said to me in a very authoritative voice. I bet she first made sure that the things written there are non-confidential. I popped the gum in my mouth and sat down beside her again. And then I saw a webpage written in binary code.

"I don't understand. Is that a virus?" I asked while staring at my wristwatch and chewing on my gum.

"Maybe." Pearl replied to me, her voice emotionless and blank. My eyes remained glued on my wristwatch. There's something I think I definitely forgot.

Oh yeah!

"Don't you have a family dinner to attend to?" I reminded her while blowing a bubble.

"Oh damn! I forgot!" Pearl stood up immediately and she hastily fixed her hair, her clothes and other things that if I were her, I wouldn't worry about them.

"You take over me, 'kay? Bye Roy!" Pearl said to me without even thinking twice. She waved bye at me as she closed the door.

Take over her? She's joking right? I can't possibly speak insane talk and plus, if I start chatting with this "business partner" Pearl claims he is, he will easily realize that I'm someone different. If he is a trusted business partner—meaning Pearl had many business interactions with her before—he can easily distinguish me from Pearl.

Well, whatever! She said I can take over so I shall.

I looked at the instant messenger and quickly scanned the previous messages. My eyes burned out. Just full of irrelevant and nonsensical sentences. I returned to look at the latest messages. I see that he didn't reply to Pearl's paragraph. Maybe I should type out a greeting just for the hell of it.

"Hello."

. . .

Five minutes passed and I still received no reply. And oh look, here comes a tumbleweed.

"Hello?" I tried again.

"Hi." He replies after ten minutes passed.

"So where were we?" I asked casually while chewing a gum.

"You're not P-chan."

P-chan? I almost choked. Is this some kind of joke? Why the hell does he call Pearl "P-chan"?! Gross. Is he really a "business partner" or is that a secret code or something meaning "boyfriend"?

"Yes I am." I typed out confidently.

"If you were, then we'd be talking right now using the P.A.M. Dictionary we invented."

So they call it "P.A.M. Dictionary." I wonder what those acronyms stand for? I stared at the upper right corner of the screen and noticed that the "business partner's" username is written in another language I don't know and understand. It's the first time I've seen that kind of language actually. I never knew it actually existed before.

"I got tired of it." I typed slowly.

"Tell me who you are or I'll shoot you down."

"Is that so? Do it then." I'm sure he's bluffing...

Until a bullet came flying into an open window and was targeted towards where I sat.

Where the hell does he even live to be able to do that?!

":P"

"Cool. How'd you do that?" I asked with no real interest.

"Go rot and die." Rude. I know how to do that but _still._..

Another bullet came flying it. I dodged it more swiftly this time.

"I will, probably after 80 years." I retorted and ignored what he just did. Hmm, the sudden subject about ages made me quickly estimate my life span. I think I'll be living up to a hundred at max but for some weird reason, I'm having doubts about that.

"Am I talking to a thirteen-year-old?" He typed after a moment of silence.

"Are you referring to yourself?" I can't refrain from insulting him. He's just so fun to tease. I'm sounding more and more like a bully, aren't I?

"Enough brickbats. I'm older than you for your information. Assuming that you _are_ thirteen, that is." I didn't reply. He was still writing something.

"Wait." He wasted thirty seconds just to write a four-letter word. After two minutes, he's typing something out again.

"SLOW." I said, provoking him to hurry up. "By the way, I am _not_ thirteen."

"Read this carefully," He ignored my remarks. "A member of the Zoldycks is immensely known for his great powers. All you have to do is make sure you obey the requests and you can wish for anything in exchange. Sounds like wishful thinking? It's not. The said person knows Nen and is a genius. A Specialization-type to be exact."

"...why are you telling me this? Just a little while ago, you tried to kill me. Two times." I said to him with a dash of curiosity.

"Well it's public knowledge anyway, at least if you consider yourself as a resident of the underworld. Any person not aware of that is considered as a pathetic piece of trash and is likely to be caught dead any minute now just by knowing that piece of info." I can imagine him giving me the most horrifying smile he can make.

"So you think I'm _bad_?"

"Yes. You wouldn't be talking to me if you aren't." He replied frankly.

I looked down. I'm not really a resident of the underworld. In my opinion, I'm forever teetering back and forth between the light and darkness. I have no exact position between those two. One minute I'm spying on someone for the mafia and the next minute, I'm being philanthropic and selfless.

"I see. What if I'm the police?" I tried to test him.

"Then come and find me,_ if you can_."

"I lied." I confess, I can't do it. "Now continue on with the Zoldyck thing. Is there a reward?" I changed the topic.

"Of course. Since you know that already, it goes without saying that the capture of the said Zoldyck member will reward you money beyond your wildest dreams. Don't expect that to be clean though." The evil image of him that I conjured in my mind suddenly dissolved.

"Want to capture him for me?" He asked me when I didn't respond.

"No." I flat out declined.

"Could you tell me your name now?" He asked immediately afterwards.

"No." Access Denied.

"Want another bullet? :D"

Just how near is he?!

"Fine, I'm Roy," I gave up and calmly replied. I'm not risking anything. That's not even my real name anyway.

"And you?" It's unfair if I'm the only one revealing personal info here—if my fake name is even considered personal.

"Fine I'll tell you." He replied rather fast.

"I'm.."

.

. .

. . .

. .

.

"HEY ROY!"

* * *

**A/N**: LOOOOOOOOOOL What was I thinking?! Longest prelude-slash-filler chapter. So far. I fell in love with periods because of my friends' influence. Thank _you_ very much!

By the way, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. Please keep 'em coming in! orz

Tell me, who do you think the "business partner" is? I have no idea either.

Review and I'll give you a free hint on who he is. LOL No, I'll give you a free mechanical pencil instead. So review.

Thank you also for reading.


	7. Week One

**FANART! (ALSO FOUND ON MY PROFILE)**

fav. me/ d5iq8mw - Ruyoki and Pearl MADE BY the-ultimate-star!

fav. me/ d5iwjgw - Ruyoki MADE BY Hana-tachi!

fav. me/ d5jgba2 - Killua and Ruyoki MADE BY the-ultimate-star AGAIN!

Thank you so much guys! :* Check them out if you want to get a better picture of my OCs.

Inspiration: Teenagers by My Chemical Romance _So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose. Maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me._

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T WANT TO DANCE. I WANT TO EAT. I WANT TO SLEEP. SO I DON'T OWN HUNTER X HUNTER.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Week One**

"HEY ROY WAKE UP!"

...

...

Huh?

...

...

"HEY ROY—RUYOKI WAKE UP!"

Ugh. Where is that _annoying_ sound coming from?!

"Ruyoki... Wake up!"

I can feel someone shaking me endlessly. And then I felt something unusually smooth touch my cheeks.

I sluggishly lifted an eyelid and saw neon pink silk skirt with a lace hemming and an embroidered red rose. I then exerted effort to try and look at the whole figure and ignore the piece of fabric rubbing against my face.

I managed to see something other than clothes; the familiar black ring on a finger on the right hand.

Pearl.

"Ah good, you're up!" She exclaimed the moment our eyes met.

I turned my back on her.

"Shut up..." I mumbled lazily, "Let me sleep." I closed my eyes and gently held the pillow near my face.

I heard a sigh.

"I don't want to do this but..." Pearl said in a regretful tone.

I can hear her walking away from me and after a few seconds, I felt her pause. What's she up to?

Then I heard her pick something up and the next thing I knew, I'm completely wet and undeniably cold.

I sat up immediately. I looked at Pearl. She's wearing a smile of satisfaction on her face, maybe because she got the reaction she wanted.

I glared at her. She widened her smile. I want to strangle her until she loses that smile of hers, until she goes completely insane, until she realizes her mistake and kneels down for forgiveness.

Sigh.

"What time is it?" I asked calmly while carefully trying to avoid gritting my teeth. I really need to control my anger from now on. My weird temper has always been slowly chewing up my insides that now I fail to maintain my composure.

"11:24 P.M." Pearl replied with a smile.

"Why are you still up?" I asked while yawning. I then stood up and stretched.

"The family dinner took longer than expected, but hey, everyone except _you_ came after all." She winked at me.

"Aw, I skipped dinner." I whined, "By the way, what did you tell them about me?"

"I said you went away. You slipped past my hold and escaped like a snake. I got a lecture in return for being too careless." She pouted.

"You could've chosen a more perfect excuse." I advised her but too late. What's done is done.

Earlier this year, Pearl was requested by my parents to watch over me bacause I was in the "rebellious age." They fear that I might do drugs or something. My foster parents are crazy but the precautionary measures they took don't hurt. Pearl has the free will to reject it and disobey since accepting the request is not even compulsory. They could always send a bodyguard in her place—which would be more annoying and disturbing. So instead of turning down the request, Pearl gave up college and watched over me. And from then on, Pearl stuck on me like a leech for six painful months and counting.

Good thing she doesn't say a word about my occupation or I'll be _so_ dead.

"Why are you staring at me?" I noticed that her eyes are peering intently into mine. "Ah! Could it be that you find me irresistibly _handsome_?" I spoke using a seductive version of my other voice and smirked at her. And as expected, she blushed.

"Y-Yuck! As if!" She covered her face with her pink handkerchief. I'm trying so hard to stifle my laughter.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you something. Just before I entered here, I saw your target walking near your room's door." Pearl spoke in a soft voice. She turned her back against me.

"Which target?" I asked blankly.

"Only Killua. But I suspect that both of them are present because I sensed a weak aura nearby. They look really adorable together, no?" She grinned.

I chuckled lightly but it ended abruptly. "What's he doing?"

"Maybe checking you out. Killua looks like someone you'll get attached with easily." She winked at me again. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Why would I be attached to someone who'll I eventually kill sooner or later?"

"Why do you want to kill him so badly?"

"Because.. I.. I don't know actually. I just felt like I just wanted to do this since a long time ago." Way back in the past? I don't have a grudge against him. We never even met before. _Or have we?_

"Long time ago." Pearl repeated. I don't exactly believe my own words either.

"Drop that topic. What names did you use to check in?" I said forcefully.

"My name and Roy's." She smiled at me heartily. I see. Instead of me running after them, they're coming towards me themselves. This job's going to be easy then.

I started to pinch my clothes and water immediately squirted out. Then I noticed Pearl change her expression. She looked flushed with anger.

"Do you recall crushing my laptop leaving it completely and utterly destroyed and pulverized?" She continued while her lips twitched every now and then. I can't believe that she successfully finished that complain-filled sentence without removing that weird smile on her face.

I raised an eyebrow. Then I slowly looked at the table where the laptop was placed earlier.

My mouth dropped open in shock.

What I saw before me was a complete mess of metal bits and pieces, plastic parts and other things I'm not familiar with. Yep, the laptop was horribly destroyed but not crushed. The last part is an exaggeration.

"What happened?" I spoke after I recovered from the shock.

"YOU tell me." Pearl is now holding a long and thick wooden stick.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, confused. She broke it and that wasn't an answer.

"You don't recall anything?!" Pearl said exasperatedly.

"No." I replied bluntly.

"Ugh!" And off she goes.

Then she walked—no, stomped off—towards the door and opened it. "I'll tell you in the morning. For now, leave." She replied, her face bathing with sadness and a hint of anger. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around?

"But telling me about where you got that stick in the morning would seem a little crazy and unnecessary right?" I said softly. She glared at me.

I sneered. "Oh well, see ya." She handed me my room key as I stepped outside. Then she slammed the door behind me. Thank goodness there's no one outside anymore, but I'm guessing that because of what we did, we could've disturbed their sleep just a little bit.

I walked in silence. Well, almost in silence. Because I'm wet, I caused my shoes to be wet too and now every time I staggered to take one step forward, that squishy feeling comes and an annoying squeak can be heard. I can also feel the water dripping from me, slithering down my legs that I struggled to walk steadily towards my room because I kept on slipping. To make matters worst, I can't feel my feet and my head is pounding that for a minute, I assumed that someone hit me on the head with a hammer earlier.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I have been drinking all night. Odd, I've never even gone drinking before. Ever.

Wait, why did I even fell asleep so suddenly in the first place?

I finally arrived at the door of the room I'm staying in. I reached in my pocket for my room key and unlocked the door. I ran inside my room and hugged my bed affectionately, disregarding the fact that I'm wet. Without thinking twice, I sprang up from bed and immediately changed clothes then hurriedly ran towards my bed again.

I snuggled under the covers and closed my eyes. Sleep dawned upon me easily but just when I was about to fall into deep sleep, thoughts from earlier filled my head.

_Why didn't Killua let Alluka finish his conversation with me? I know he suspects me but, there's something other than suspicion in his eyes._

Worry.

_Why?_

_Is there something about Alluka I should be worried about?_

_A Zoldyck being hunted down by the mafia? What for? Aren't they the best assassins that they hire every time?_

_Just because of power lust? Where did they scatter their brains? Aren't there any other feelings between them besides a boss-and-employee's relationship, not even _loyalty?

Uncertainties left behind became my top priority again. And to add the cherry topping on my sundae of curiousness, a question entered mind again:

_Who was the business partner?_

:::::::::::::::::::

10 o' clock in the morning. Breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

I slept late so this is what I get.

"So how'd the chat go?" Pearl asked me while eating a stack of pancakes. I gave her a weird look. "What?" Pearl looked back at me.

"Your laptop got destroyed yet you're still curious about what happened during our chat last night?" I then sipped from my cup of coffee.

"Ooohh, that. Right after you went back to your room, I investigated the scrap metals on my table and found out that it wasn't really the laptop after all." Pearl smiled at me shyly. "It was a just lamp shot down by a bullet. But news flash, the bullet contained some sort of toxic acid which caused the deformation of the said lamp and for the disappearance of the fabric. Also, the acid contained in the bullet does not only corrode metals, but also other things, maybe even whatever object comes contact with it. Human skin is not affected though."

Acid.. "Sulfuric acid?"

"No, not really. My finger should be missing its epidermis right now."

And here came the silence again.

I sipped from my cup and finished my meal. Pearl took the last bite of her pancakes. Afterwards, I received a text message from a private number.

"Hey Roy." The _hell?!_

I didn't reply. I glanced at Pearl. She was busy looking outside the window. I stared at her for thirty seconds and anticipated the moment she'll get her cellphone and type out another text to send to me. But unfortunately, she didn't budge. I gave up and replied to the message.

"Who's this?"

Five seconds later.

"Guess. :]"

I squinted.

Then from out of nowhere, I felt someone watching me intensely. I looked at Pearl and saw that she's busy doing something on her phone.

"_Haha_, Pearl." I spoke sarcastically. "That was a very funny joke."

"What?" She spoke in a very clueless manner.

"You could've just talked to me instead of sending me these messages." I said sharply.

"What _messages_?" My eye twitch. I then immediately snatched her phone away from her hands and saw on the screen that she's playing a game. I exited and searched through her messages.

My eye twitched again at the moment I caught sight of the contents of her inbox. Oh-kay. What the hell _are_ these?

"Give me that!" Pearl threw her arms at me. I used my free hand to block her. Then, as if a reflex, I instantaneously put a hand over her face, depriving her the will to insist on getting her phone back.

Pearl finally calmed down. I slowly removed my hand. She folded her arms in front of her and snorted. I scrolled down and looked at the other messages—the more understandable ones— and even the texts found inside the sent items. No luck. She isn't the one.

I gave the phone back to her. She took it calmly and squealed like a little girl the moment it touched her fingers. It seemed as though she received her best birthday gift ever.

"Thank you!" She said in a very sweet tone that it'll give one cavities. I ignored her and continued making assumptions about who's watching me and why.

I looked behind me and saw the other hotel guests occupied and minding their own business. I glanced and surveyed around the restaurant quickly but no one in particular looked like they took a liking on observing me. Am I just imagining this?

I sighed.

"Targets at my 9 o' clock." Pearl sounded like a military officer but I looked at the direction she talked about. And surprise, surprise, there they are indeed.

* * *

Report #1

Week One:

The representations are as follows:

AB = Killua Zoldyck

AC = Alluka Zoldyck

BC = Spy

160912

Restaurant of xx Hotel, 5:34 A.M.

AB and AC approached BC...

* * *

"Hello Roy! I've been looking all over for you!"

I turned and saw Alluka walking towards my table. Killua is standing right beside him.

"Are you free today? If yes, then let's play!"

I see Killua watching us silently. He's holding Alluka's hand.

"Sure." I replied using the other voice. "But where?"

"In our room." Alluka grinned at me. I glanced at Killua and saw him looking at Pearl. And in return, Pearl stared at me and Alluka.

"I think I've seen you somewhere before." Killua spoke up.

"Yeah, at the restaurant. I was with Ruyoki." She replied with an ambiguous smile.

"Oh." Killua said in an approving tone. My eye twitched. Damn you Pearl. It was one thing to disappear immediately but revealing sensitive information is another. I gave her a sharp glance and her smile instantly vanished.

"You know Ruyoki?" Pearl inquired, feigning unawareness. Killua looked at me from the corner of his eye. Suspicion.

"Uh, yeah. Gon told me who she is." He spoke casually. "And apparently, Roy here is her twin, right?" Killua looked at me.

"Ooooooh, right." Pearl gave me a doubtful look. I snapped my fingers involuntarily and I don't even know why I did that.

"So are we going or not?" Alluka tugged me. Killua continued to stare.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" He asked me. His tone filled was filled with suspicion. I suddenly felt nervous. Oh damn.

"He does look a lot like his twin, eh?" Pearl saved me. Thank goodness.

"Yeah." Killua agreed but there was still a hint of doubt.

"In your opinion, is Ruyoki pretty?" Pearl, why are you asking such irrelevant questions?! Why won't you shut up instead?! Better yet, why don't you get lost!?

"She's okay, I guess." Killua replied blankly. I looked away. I don't understand why I remained silent. They talked about other things concerning Killua's friend Gon but I didn't pay both of them any attention. Meanwhile, Alluka kept tugging at my jacket.

"Let's go." He kept mumbling every now and then. Now he's pulling me. I tried to focus on their conversation again but failed. It was full of irrelevant information yet I'll still end up adding that to the report. The conversation is leading them nowhere and it's all that airhead's fault.

"Sure." I smiled at Alluka and we went started walking ahead and left them.

"Onii-chan, you coming?" Alluka called from behind him.

"Yeah." Killua replied and immediately caught up with us. I wonder, what did they talk about? I glanced behind me and saw Pearl giving me a faint grin. After a few seconds, I received a text message from her.

"Killua asked about my relation with you. I told him to ask you. You didn't pay attention, did you?" Nope. I was too distracted with Alluka.

I put my phone away and entered the elevator with Alluka and Killua at my left.

Awkward silence filled the elevator. We're the only ones riding on it so it felt vacant and hollow in here. To avoid boredom, eyes started to wander from one corner to another. My concentration on my targets broke because they were doing absolutely irrelevant things that it's not even worth mentioning. My eys stopped searching when something shiny struck my eyes. I instantly examined where I had stared before and my eyes landed on the bar handles. I looked more closely. I never noticed the detail engraved on them before. Maybe that's why they're rough at times.

"Hey Roy. Do you own the hotel?" Alluka asked me while playing with his colorful finger puppets.

"No, actually." I answered unconsciously while I continued to stare at the bar handles. When Alluka realized that my focus can't be broken, he spoke again. This time to someone else.

"Onii-chan, you're so quiet." The very mention of that word pulled me back to reality. We both looked at Killua. He was busy with his cellphone.

"Huh?" He looked up, completely unaware of what's happening around them and was greeted by Alluka's gentle face.

"I said you're so quiet." He repeated. "Greet my new friend, Roy!" Alluka added.

New friend.

My chest tightened a bit. I looked away and returned my eyes on the bar handles.

"Oh, sorry." I felt Killua's gaze on me. "Hi." I looked at him and saw him waved faintly at us before resuming what he was doing before.

"You met my sister?" I asked while making sure I'm using the low-pitched voice. I glanced at him. "Yep, I already told you that." He put his phone away and responded. "So, what about it?"

"Nothing." I looked at the door and it opened.

We arrived at the twentieth floor. Wow, the elevator's unusually slow yet it's only us in here.

Alluka ran ahead of us and stopped in front of Room 2089. Killua reached into his pocket and got the room key. After exiting the elevator, I noticed his pocket vibrate. I took a glimpse at Alluka and when I turned to look at him, he's occupied with his phone again. This caused him to momentarily stop walking. I walked ahead of him and rejoined Alluka. I stared outside the window. The view from here is spectacular. The sun is also slowly rising and I can feel the light touching my face.

And two minutes ticked by fast. I got bored at appreciating nature and stood in front of their door impatiently. Alluka prevented boredom by asking me random questions. But my mind was flying again, so I can't recall what my responses were. I wonder if he's really interested in knowing those things?

I looked down and noticed that I was playing with my fingers involuntarily. And then it finally hit me, we're still not inside their room. And that's not all, Killua's not here yet.

I stared outside the window again and spoke, "Texting your girlfriend?" I then suppressed a smirk and pretended to talk to no one.

"Onii-chan has a girlfriend?!" Alluka got it anyway. His eyes widened in surprise. I looked at him while feigning a dumbfounded face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Alluka turned to me and then to Killua.

"Because I don't have one." Killua replied dismissively and finally, he walked towards Alluka. He gave him a reassuring pat on the head. I snickered for some reason. He raised an eyebrow at me and unlocked the door.

The moment he opened the door, Alluka ran in.

"Onii-chan, invite our guest inside!" He beamed as he spoke to Killua and was now busy getting some toys from somewhere.

"Okay!" Killua replied in an unbelievably cheerful tone, then he looked at me. "You heard her." Her?

"Alluka's a girl?" I asked while trying to prevent myself from acting all astonished.

"And so are _you_. Now come in, _Ruyoki_." Killua gave me a fake smile.

"I'm a boy." I said after quietly clenching my fists.

"Yeah, right. Now go." He gave me a light push on the back and entered before me. I crossed my arms to hide my firmly closed fists and went inside looking like a grumpy old man.

"You really do act like a girl." Killua suddenly spoke up while caressing his younger brother's hair. I gave him an icy stare.

"Who gave you that idea?"

"Pearl did. Tell me, did you really try to imitate every action your sister does when you were younger?" He asked me while subduing a grin.

"You're actually buying that?" I said in an annoyed voice. This is what they must've talked about while my mind was focused on something else earlier.

He ignored my remark and helped Alluka carry the toys.

"What do you mean I'm a girl?" I said while trying my best to keep my cool. For some reason, Killua has a natural talent for annoying the crap out of me even if all he does is stand, stare and smile.

"Ask your sister. She's true and alive in this world, right?" He replied, emphasizing the fact that I don't really exist. You are so going to die.

"So you really don't trust a thing I say?" I asked curiously. I was slowly losing my hold on the low-pitched voice because I was getting a bit too much in character.

"No, not at all." He said frankly.

Stab. Right in the middle of my confidence in my amazing acting skills.

"But you trust Pearl?" I asked emptily.

"Obviously." Whoa.

"Roy, onii-chan, let's play now!" Alluka chimed in. When we looked at where he sat, we saw a tea set in front of him.

"Uhm.. We're not going to play video games today?" Killua asked, disappointed.

"No, because we have a guest." He smiled at us again. Killua went near him and sat on the bed. "Sorry for the trouble." I bowed my head apologetically.

"A boy, yeah right." Killua said under his breath. I gave him a sharp glance and he just laughed it off.

"Boys are supposed to be rude?" I asked him.

"Not really, but you're too polite." He replied whilst plugging a game console to the tv.

I brushed that off as a compliment and walked towards Alluka and his tea set. Alluka signalled at me to sit down.

"Good Morning Sir Roy. Would you like some Earl Grey tea today?" Alluka held a plastic teapot which seemed a lot like porcelain.

"Yes please." That's impolite for you.

He poured invisible tea into my cup and faked drank from it. I suddenly thought of coffee.

"So, Sir Roy, what do you think of my house?" His eyes wandered around the room, urging me to follow where he looked.

"Very beautiful." And so much larger than the room I'm also staying in. They're definitely staying in one of the best suites in the hotel.

I faked drank from my cup again. "Here are some muffins." They were real. "And here is my brother, Killua." He glanced at him. "Ehem." Alluka tried to get Killua's attention. He waved at us while not losing focus on the game he's playing.

"What do you think of Killua?" He smiled at me but the corner of his lips were twitching.

"Nothing." I answered directly.

"Bang! Kiss my ass!"

Killua screamed suddenly. We both placed our attention on the tv screen.

"What'cha playing Killua?"

Alluka walked to where Killua sat.

"I'm battling someone over the internet." He said while pounding down the buttons of the controller. I can't see Alluka's expression because his back is turned.

"Can I play too?" Alluka spoke in a soft and delicate voice. I never heard it before.

"Later, I promise."

It's funny how boys are really attached to silly video games.

"I want to play now." Alluka protested, still in that unusual voice.

"You're being rude to your guest."

"Like you weren't before. Give me the controller." Alluka reached for the controller but Killua flung it away.

"I will, I promise, but not now."

"Eh Killua, I want to now." Alluka sat down beside him, defeated.

Killua didn't react this time. I continued eating my muffins quietly.

"Now?"

"Wait."

"Right now?"

"Just wait."

"Maybe I can have my turn now?" Alluka's tone was pleading.

"Shh, Nanika!"

Nanika?

"Who's 'Nanika'?"

"Hello Roy." Alluka faced me. I was tongue-tied. I've never seen this before.

Alluka's new face is definitely _not_ familiar. How his now fuliginous eyes look into yours vacantly is almost terrifying. His mouth curved into a smile revealed nothing but darkness.

It was much darker and deeper than an endless abyss; Much deeper than the depths of the earth and much darker than one could ever see in a lifetime. Not even the excruciating rays of the hot afternoon sun penetrated the darkness. Absolutely dark. Utterly black.

Where are the sincere smiles and honest eyes? Where's the gentle stare? Where is the kind face of his?

Where did the one _I want to kill_ disappear to?

This is not Alluka.

_What is that thing?_

* * *

Con't of Report #1

Week One:

The representations are as follows:

AB = Killua Zoldyck

AC = Alluka Zoldyck

BC = Spy

210912

Lobby of xx Hotel, 7:08 A.M.

AB has an appointment with..

* * *

"What's 'AB' supposed to stand for? _'Adorable bastard'_?" Pearl said while peeking from behind me.

"Yeah, I was abou—NO! WHY THE HELL WOULD 'AB' MEAN SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!" I stood up and closed my laptop immediately. I looked at her with all my negativity flowing outside me.

"Oh whaddaya know, I hit the jackpot. Adorable bastard coming in at five o' clock. He's been visiting you lately, hasn't he?"

"It's because of Alluka. Don't misinterpret us."

"Yeah, right. I suppose you sleeping in their room once was because of Alluka too."

"YES. Now scram. Get a job. Or go to college for a change."

"But maybe 'adorable' isn't the right word." She ignored my response. "Appealing? Alluring? Or 'bastard' isn't right either. Maybe it means 'boyfriend'? Gosh, Ruyoki! You're already planning ahead! I'm rooting for you!" Pearl enthused. I glared menacingly at her. She gave me a sardonic smile in return.

"Gosh, Pearl! You're way off!" I exclaimed sarcastically. Her smile faded. "There's no meaning behind 'AB' okay?! But if I were to give one, 'appalling bastard' would sound nice." I smirked. Pearl grimaced at what I just told her.

"Whatevs." She pouted at me. "I was just trying to sugar coat your relationship but you kept on slamming the door on my face."

"The hell I care about our relationship."

Killua then came into full view.

"You're here because?" I immediately sat down again and rested my head on the palm of my hand.

"I've become my sister's lackey." He sighed. "Alluka wants to see you."

I took my laptop and stood. "See ya."

I waved goodbye to Pearl unenthusiastically. She ignored me. I gave her a final vacant look and walked pass Killua.

"Go upstairs." He instructed after I was a feet away from him. I stopped moving and looked back. I saw him took a step towards the other direction. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Somewhere."

"Somewhere where?"

"Some where you don't need to know." He sighed again. "Fine. I'll go with you upstairs just in case you're thinking that I'll be doing something suspicious and you'll follow and spy on me." I tensed the moment he mentioned "spy". My limbs suddenly felt stiff. I clasped my hands together as a means to overcome nervousness but it's not working.

"As you wish." I said strongly. And like it was manually manipulated, all of my anxiety vanished again.

I continued walking towards the elevator. Killua followed me and we both went inside. I pressed a button and the elevator started going up.

S-i-l-e-n-c-e.

_Ting!_

This time, Killua hastily walked ahead of me and opened the door of their room. He stepped inside and left it open for me to enter.

"Hi Roy! We're making origami today!" Alluka grinned at me and pointed at the hills of paper varying in sizes and color scattered on the floor.

Killua picked some of them up and put them inside a faded and old blue cardboard box.

"Maybe I shouldn't attend the appointment.." Killua muttered restlessly.

"You should, onii-chan. I'll be fine!" Alluka whined while sitting in the middle of the sea of paper. He started folding.

"Who'll be watching over you then?" Uhm, hello? What's my purpose here exactly? Watch you two have a silly argument on whether big bro goes out on a date or not?

"What appointment?" I asked.

"None of your concern." He replied sternly. Then I noticed Alluka's eyes sparkle.

"Roy could watch over me." He smiled.

"No. I don't trust him." Killua glared at me.

"I'll protect Alluka with my life. How's that sound?" I carelessly tried to assure him.

"You see? Now go! You need to and you know you do. Bye bye!" Alluka pushed him outside the door and closed it. I never imagined that a day will come when he'll shut out his most beloved brother.

"Now let's get started!" Alluka sat again. "Sit here." He patted on the vacant space on his left.

"Why do you want to see me?" I asked after sitting beside him. I put my laptop on the table.

"Because you gotta help me make a thousand origami cranes!" Alluka replied while folding. "Onii-chan has to go out so no one's here to help me except you."

I nodded. I then took a brightly colored sheet of paper.

I folded this and there. And other layer here and a rip there. Or is it here? That isn't supposed to be there, right? But that shouldn't break apart. Oh damn.

Alluka saw how I struggled and took my paper. He crumpled it within minutes and threw it at the trash bin.

Then he got a fresh new piece of paper.

"This is how you fold." He handed me a my own piece.

"Follow my lead." He started folding while glancing at me several times to make sure I'm keeping up.

After a minute, I managed to make a paper crane that for once, looks very origami crane-like, but Alluka's still looked more well-made than mine.

"Where is you onii-chan going to anyway?" I asked while marveling at Alluka's origami crane.

"He's going to take a job." A job.

"Why?"

"Because he says we're running low on cash." Alluka started folding again.

"Why do you need these origami cranes for?"

"You've heard of the Senbazuru story, right? I want to..." And then my phone rang.

Alluka bit his lip.

I stood up and went to a corner. How rude of me.

"Excuse me." I said after I turned the knob of the rest room door.

"What?" I irritably answered the call.

"_Attractive bastard just went outside. Should I follow him?_" It was Pearl. My eye twitched.

"Go." I said crisply.

"_Okay. Bye._" She hung up.

I put a hand on my forehead and sighed.

Then after a few seconds, I received a new text message.

It was from the exact same private number again.

"Some ex-big shot from hell wants to get the Zoldyck to regain his former glory. You better hurry up if you want to catch the reward money in its fullest."

Someone who used to be famous in the underworld..

"Who's that?" I replied immediately.

"Aw, I knew you'd reply. :3 Figured me out yet?" I was getting ready to hurl my phone to the open window when I received another message.

"Whoa, cool it Roy-_kun_. I'll tell you," Much better. "It's the..

How to tell if a girl likes you? Experts on human mating state that women may display the following signals when they are interested in you: 1, She blushes in your presence; 2, She plays with her hair in your presence; 3, She walks past you more than once. She is trying to get your attention.; 4, She keeps looking at you. She can not take her eyes of you; 5, She shows some flesh in your presence, like pulling on her collar or lifting up her dress..."

Oh yes, it's a bunch of crap that wants to take Alluka away. _Very_ believable and realistic.

I scrolled down angrily. "End of message."

You must be freakin' kidding me.

"Fess up or I will personally go there and cut your limbs off." I replied, obviously vexed.

"Haha. Like hell you will,"

The rest of the message contained nothing but periods and commas.

My eye twitched.

I scrolled down again impatiently.

"It is the Nostrade family."

* * *

**A/N**: So there are a lot of cliffhangers in this filler chapter. I promise the next three chapters will explain. The business partner's identity...will remain a secret until twenty chapters have passed. MWUAHAHAH.

"How to tell if a girl likes you" part is from almighty internet.

I just noticed this: in my summary, I stated "KilluaxOC". But, which OC? I have two OCs.  
Tell me, what are your thoughts about this chapter? What's your favorite song? Favorite band? Favorite HxH villain?

Please gimme reviews! I will update faster if you do. Like, once a week not once every two weeks. And like, I'll stop lying and like, stop saying like, and like, like, like, like, like, like.

Thank you to those who reviewed! Thank you for guessing! :P And thanks again for the fanart! :D

Thanks for reading by the way. Happy Halloween! orz


	8. Nostrade

Inspiration: Kataomoi by Chara _Sono sora ippai no kami hikouki kurai ni natte hitotsu dake mitsukete_

**DISCLAIMER: NEVER WILL I OWN HUNTER X HUNTER. FOREVER WILL I OWN PEARL AND RUYOKI-slash-ROY.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Nostrade**

The Nostrade family, eh? I received another text message.

"Hello, Roy? Are you still there?" Ignore.

The former star in the mafia community and the subordinate of the Ritz family. Their popularity shot up when Neon Nostrade and her ability to foresee was introduced to the underworld.

"Hello?" Do not care.

The mafia has grown favorable of the family because Neon's fortunes are always correct, to the point that even the Ten Dons ask for them. According to popular belief, her predictions always foretell the wrong things that will happen, so if one becomes very careful, it may be avoided. I've offered my services to them once because I needed money but they refused. It was before Neon allegedly lost her power.

"Roy?" Still, ignored.

At that time, Light Nostrade's life drastically changed when Neon lost it. Turns out he depended on her daughter for fame and fortune. No surprise there, really.

"Ro-oy?!" Cool, a hypen. Doesn't make it any different though.

Afterwards, they kind of disappeared. It was like they were swallowed whole by the darkness, yet I think they're lurking behind the shadows there somewhere.

"Geez." Stop bugging me.

Now they're planning to challenge the other mafia families in a race to see who would get the Zoldyck first. But aren't they afraid that everyone in the Zoldyck family would chase after them? They would make enemies out of their best assassins in the world.

"Roy, I like you. Go out with me." Igno—What the...

It took me a minute before the text finally registered in my mind.

"Holy cow, you're gay?!"

"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm _so_ not. I did that to make you reply to me. Worked like a charm, didn't it? ;)"

I regained control of my senses. "How pathetic. Going low just to get attention? Kill yourself. Now."

"Nah, I can't yet. You still need me. C:"

"Don't you realize that I've only met you last night and now you're telling me that I freakin' need you?!"

"Yup!" This reply annoys me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! How'd you even get my number in the first place?! Seriously, die, _attention whore_." I flipped.

"Oh, too bad you can't cuss that much. It would've been fun." And the bastard enjoys this. Wonderful.

I wish I could dismember him now but sadly, I can't.

"Roy!" Alluka yelled. I had my back resting against the door so I felt a little bit of pressure from his knocks. "Are you done yet? Who called?"

Alluka knocked again. I turned my phone off and unlocked the rest room door.

"It was only Pearl." I said nonchalantly and opened the door.

Alluka looked at me then walked towards the sofa.

"Are you bored?" I asked.

"Not really. Let's continue." We walked towards the living room where I was greeted again by the hundreds of paper. Alluka handed me about twenty pieces of the blue and yellow colored ones.

"Get more if you need more." He said in a cool, relaxed voice.

"I just remembered something. Where you're going to make a thousand origami cranes, you're the only one who's supposed to make them all?" I said after putting my phone in my pocket.

"I know that." Alluka turned to me while folding. "You have to make your own one thousand too."

"Oh." I mused. What if I don't want to? Sigh, I can't escape.

We continued folding origami cranes for for one straight hour without breaks. When Alluka finally decided that we should stop folding for today, my body felt constricted that it took a while before I managed to flex my knees. My left foot felt numb and prickly that I had difficulty walking for thirty seconds.

"Hey Roy, how many cranes did you make?" Alluka asked me while arranging the cranes on the table and lining them up on a string.

I counted all the yellow colored cranes and the ones painted in blue. "Only fifteen. I kept messing up and starting from scratch."

"You were the only one who thought you messed up. They were actually fine." Alluka picked up my cranes and placed it near my laptop.

I glanced at my wristwatch and stared out the window. I wonder how things are going with Pearl?

I took my phone and turned it on. Someone sent me a new text message.

"Woooh! Fire! Fire in the room! Oh the blazes, oh the heat, oh the burn! In the room, in the room! Guess what, it's _your_ room!" Well, shit.

"I think I should go back to my room." I murmured, my voice shaking.

"What did you say?" Alluka asked as he put his origami cranes to his room.

"I should go back to my room." I said it louder, though it's still barely audible. I think I froze for a moment.

"Why?"

"Because..." Pearl might—Just being worried about her makes me sick. More importantly, MY ROOM! "...I need to. Wait here."

I rushed outside the door. Shit, I'm not allowed to leave Alluka alone. I stopped walking fast and returned immediately to their room.

"Alluka, would you like to come with me?" I stood there at the doorway, panting.

"No thank you. I think I'll wait for onii-chan here." He answered my question while decorating my laptop with some origami flowers.

"Okay." I pulled up my sleeves and closed the door. "I'll be on the fourth floor." I took a deep breath.

This time, I walked calmly towards the elevator. Why was I worried in the first place? It's Pearl after all. She can take care of herself. No, not Pearl. My room might be on fire!

I reached the fourth floor. The moment the doors open, I charged towards my room and hastily grabbed my keys from my pocket. I opened it and to my surprise, the curtains are burning. Just a small fire, not too large. Just tiny, not yet spreading.

"What.. The hell." That's all I could utter. I breathed heavily to restrain myself from panicking. Chill just chill. BUT HOW?! IT'S FREAKIN' HOT IN HERE!

I lost all control and grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher—which was located at the corridor. I aimed it towards the curtains. Luckily, I was able to put the fire out before the worse came.

Then I sat down on the floor. I felt tired, and stressed-out. I rested my head on my arm, which was lying on top of my bent knee. I pondered about all the things that just happened.

Sigh, that business partner is definitely dangerous. And he surely knows how to scare the crap out the people he stalks. But he stalked the wrong person.

After I'm done with this job, I'll definitely do everything it takes just to _hunt him down_.

When I regained my normal disposition, I stood up and removed the curtain. I picked up the phone and called for housekeeping. I then left some additional payment for the damage I caused and left the room.

Out of curiosity, I checked Pearl's room and expected the door was locked. But what do you know, it wasn't.

I opened the door with the intention of locking it afterwards until I saw Pearl standing in front of the mirror.

"What the hell are you still doing here?!"

"Hi Ruyoki." Pearl's face looked delighted to see me. Then she continued fixing her hair in front of the mirror.

"Don't call me that!" I closed the door behind me. "What if someone hears you?"

"Sure, whatever you say." Pearl licked her lips and applied lipstick. "Do you think this color looks good with my complexion?"

I don't know what expression to put on my face. I just felt irritated, vexed and annoyed like I never was before.

I gently punched the wall beside me to relieve stress and said, "What are you sill doing here?" as peaceful as possible.

"I'm getting ready to chase after your target, what else?" She looked at me like she was surprised that I'm acting like all vitriolic for reasons she can't understand.

I looked down and summoned all my energy to prevent myself from getting ticked off but to no avail. I dashed towards her and grabbed her by the collar of her clothes.

"GO!"

"W-what?"

"I said go! You're not supposed to idle around here! I've got a job to complete and I'm not going to let my work become inaccurate all because of you!" I pulled her closer to my face so she could see how annoyed and splenetic I am.

She just stared at me with bulging eyes. "R-Roy, you're too close." She pushed me away and looked at me with a flushed face. Is she serious!?

I slapped myself to try and cool myself down. Afterwards, I stared right back at her.

"Ruyoki, you perfectly know that this is not my job to begin with. You should take full responsibility of your actions." So me trusting you was wrong? "And besides, it's Killua we're talking about! He can take care of himself. The guy's already mature for his age."

"You don't get it do you? I'm not worried about his well-being, I'm worried that my report will be incomplete and inaccurate! I relied on you to spy on him for me and look, you're still here with not an ounce of information about what's happening to him now." Why am I having this pointless argument with Pearl?

"I'm not the one getting paid for this Ruyoki, so this is not one of my priorities." She looked daggers at me for a second then continued applying makeup. There was a brief and overwhelming silence.

Fine I was stupid. I shouldn't have depended on others. This is my job.

I leaned my back against the door. Still, I think Pearl should've at least tried to be fast and to catch up with Killua. We wouldn't have this heated exchange if she had been faster.

Nonetheless, I think I was the one who's wrong. I shouldn't have been too cranky and impatient.

I straigtened up and bowed. "I'm sorry."

"You better be. Hmph!" She's always having her way that I was convinced I'm the one at total fault for a second.

"Sure I will. But you still need to follow Killua. Or else." I turned the knob and attempted to open the door when suddenly, the world seemed fuzzy and dimming. "Ah, shit. My eyesight's getting worse and it's all your fault."

"How is it my fault?!" Pearl's unexpected high-pitched voice rang in my ears. I peeked at her and saw that she's done at indulging herself in vanity. "Maybe the burdens of being a boy are getting to you."

I gave a quick dart behind me. "My plan's working, unlike yours."

"You mean the be-Killua's-girlfriend-so-we-can-squeeze-the-juicy -information-out-of-him plan? Take one look at me and you're sure it'll work!" I did look at her for five seconds longer, and I burst out laughing.

"You..? Killua..?" I tried to speak while in the middle of laughter and it only made my stomach hurt.

Pearl glared at me. "It's MY plan! Give it some respect!"

"Ah ha ha.." I wiped my mouth. "Sure, after it _actually_ works." I smirked at her.

"I swear it will!" She declared confidently.

"It will, after ten years."

"Get out of here!" She threw her purse at me. I dodged and immediately opened and hid behind the door.

"Wow, Chanel! That's expensive. You shouldn't throw stuff like that. Mom and dad will get mad at you." I said pretending to be concerned.

"I SAID OUT!" This time, she hurled a bag towards me. I closed the door and successfully shielded myself. "Stop bothering me! May I remind you that I am about to go follow your target. You should be thankful I agreed." She screamed at the door.

I peeked inside. "You're the one who wanted to follow him in the first place."

"Out." She walked towards the door and kicked it close.

My stomach started to hurt again with all the silent laughing I'm doing.

"Roy?" Alluka found me sitting on the floor with my head between my knees. I looked up to see him while trying so hard to stifle my giggles.

"Yeah?"

"I need to buy more paper for origami."

"I think you have enough paper." I stood up and walked towards him. "Let's go upstairs."

"I'm not comfortable up there."

"Why not?"

"I can feel someone watching me."

"There are no ghosts here, none that I've heard of."

"Not that kind of watching. It felt threatening, like they're going to capture me." The Nostrades are making their move already?

"Don't worry." I gave him a pat on the head. "There'll be no one who will dare to even lay a finger on you while I'm here."

"I.. Think we should go outside." Outside? "I want fresh air. The air there feels heavy too."

I was about to agree when my phone vibrated again.

"Hi, Roy. Nostrades are making their move, huh?"

"You don't say." I replied.

"Haha. Seriously. They're making their move. Many other mafia gangs are also tracking down the Zoldyck right now. They thought that the Nostrades' intention of capturing the Zoldyck is a declaration of war. So basically, this is like a game of who gets there first wins." I was taken aback by what I just read. So everyone is going after Alluka right now?

"Alluka, it might be best if we don't go outside." My voice was shaking.

"Eh, why?" I can't face Alluka.

"Because some people might be after you." I said tactfully.

"I know that. But you're here to protect me remember?" He beamed at me. I gave him a crooked smile.

"So, let's go. Onii-chan says the people that are after me are weaklings anyway. I'm sure you can handle them." I think considering the Nostrades weaklings is a bit of an understatement but I'll have to agree. Most of the guys in the mafia are unaware of the existence of Nen. I think I can handle them if they attack, but not all at once.

"Are we going or not?" Alluka looked at me impatiently.

"Sure, c'mon. Let's go back to your room first." I headed towards the elevator. Alluka followed me while humming. After we were only a few steps away from reaching the elevator. Pearl opened her door and sped ahead of us. When she was about to press a button, she looked surprised to see us dumbfounded.

"Oh, were you about to enter?" She seriously didn't notice us?

"No!" I cried sarcastically. "We were just about to jump out the window where there's a hundred percent chance of dying but we don't care since it will get us to the ground more quickly. Sure, we'll be dead but who cares?! We reached the floor!" The sarcasm wasn't necessary and relevant but heck, I just want to get back at her in any way I can.

And sure enough, Pearl snarled at me and rolled her eyes. "Just get in."

We went in with me feeling good about getting even. Alluka looked at me doubtfully because now I was humming the song he hummed earlier. I gave him the warmest smile I could make and he smiled at me happily. I can feel Pearl's disgusted gaze because we must've looked like total idiots.

Some other guests staying in the hotel went inside the elevator and joined is, so I have no choice but to stop acting happy.

"Almost at the ground floor. You going up right?"

"You would definitely become a perfect elevator operator Pearl. I suggest you try and enhance that talent of yours. You'll reach greater heights in the future." I snickered.

"Shut up Roy or I won't..." I stared at her. She looked at me the same way and then noticed Alluka. Get a clue, blockhead! "Whatever!"

I kind of felt relieved.

The elevator reached the lobby. "Bye Pearl!" I was unusually upbeat. I wonder where this surge of energy came from?

Pearl ignored me and walked outside. Some guests went outside and some went in. We were stuck with silence.

"Where is Pearl going?" Alluka asked me despite the silence.

"A date, I think." I replied while looking at my phone.

We stopped on several floors before we got the chance to arrive at the twentieth floor again. We must have took 20 minutes.

"You're not going to get anything?" I entered the room and took my laptop.

"No." Alluka didn't walked in and was staring at the window. I looked at it and saw someone hide. I quickly walked out of the room, grabbed the keys and locked the door.

They found out where they're hiding quickly. Not bad.

"Who was that?" I asked sheepishly, pretending I didn't know.

"Someone." I received a vague answer. Killua probably doesn't explain it to him much for his sake.

That's definitely someone from the mafia. Nostrades again? Or the _business partner_?

:::::::::::::::::::

We have been walking around the city for only thirty minutes and I've already spent all of rmy pocket money because Alluka kept buying origami paper and some other stuff. All I have left was some loose change for our way back to the hotel.

Then we entered an ice cream parlor. Bye bye spare money!

While we're eating ice cream, I took out my phone and wrote a message to Pearl asking about my other target.

"AC is doing fine." She replied after three minutes.

"Elaborate."

"He met up with a few friends at xx Park. It's about a five minute walk from the hotel. And he hasn't fought with anyone. He hasn't caught some air-borne disease and is still alive and kicking." Ha-ha. I thought he was going out to meet up with a chick.

"What are you doing then?" If Killua's with friends then...

"I joined them." Nothing fazed her to stop continuing. Good.

"Recorder on?"

"Yup."

I didn't reply this time. I put my phone away and finished the ice cream hurriedly. I think I need to ask Killua some questions about the guys going after them. I don't have time to wait for them to tell me all of these information naturally. As of this moment, I can feel someone already following and watching us.

"Alluka let's go." It'll be a twenty minute walk from here. I took his paper bag which contained all the items he bought and prepared to go. I looked around and scanned the area around us. I searched for where the stares are coming from. Two agents inside the store, one behind, one on the opposite building and one group of five trying to look casual.

"Sure wait a minute." Alluka continued eating. The feeling of being watched suddenly increased the moment Alluka spoke. One female customer sitting behind our table kept shooting glances at our direction regardless of the fact that she knows I'm already noticing them. I guess wanting the great Zoldyck isn't exclusive to one gender.

"Hurry." I tapped impatiently on the table. Tense suddenly shot up. They seemed to get what's happening. I bet they thought I'm planning to get him all for myself. Maybe they're planning how to take me down, get Alluka and run at this moment.

"Okay let's go." Alluka stood up and took his paper bag from me. One stupid guy from the group of five stood after we did. I glared at him and he got reprimanded by the other four.

I gave them a creepy smile and suggested to Alluka that we walk towards the park to meet his brother.

"Onii-chan's at the park? I thought he was looking for a job?" I was also curious about the same thing but that doesn't matter now.

I moved closer to his ear and whispered, "Many people are following us. Let's hurry, please."

He nodded at me and we started walking faster than usual.

Surprisingly enough, we arrived at the park in less than fifteen minutes. I searched around the park and looked for something familiar. I thought I saw Pearl but it isn't her. I tried again but failed to catch a glimpse of Pearl's obnoxious face.

"Is onii-chan really here?" Alluka's tone sounded impatient.

I nodded slowly and looked around. I felt that inescapable feeling of being watched again.

"Let's walk around." I'm sure that they're waiting for the chance for us to become vulnerable.

"Look!" Just before I was about to take a step, Alluka pointed at the kid with spiky hair, er, Gon. Beside him was Killua and the tall guy who looks like their dad for some weird reason.

"ONII-CHAN!" Alluka screamed and waved at them. I squinted my eyes. I'm having trouble seeing them clearly.

"Hey Roy!" I felt a pat on my left shoulder. I glanced at Alluka at my right and then turned to my left.

"Oh, hi Pearl." My guard shot up unexpectedly. "Having fun?"

"Somehow," She twirled her hair between her fingers. "The blond dude Kurapika isn't here. I hope that didn't bother you." She gave me a mischievous grin. I stared blankly at her. Then all of a sudden, the whole world became fuzzy and obscure.

"But there _is_ something bothering you. Let me guess, one playing, three by the bench and one pretending to be on a date." She talked like she knew everything already. I can sense the people following us withdrawing.

"Alluka!" Killua walked towards us, I think. My vision's still a bit blurry. I rubbed my eyes and saw them hugging each other.

"Who is this guy?" The tall guy looked at me suspiciously. Gon and the others turned to face him then me.

"Hi, what's your name?" Gon asked me. "I think I've seen you before."

"He's that Ruyoki's twin." Killua spoke up.

"Ah! The one that made you feel so pissed, Killua?" Pearl added unexpectedly. I feel like killing somebody.

I still can't see clearly. I tried to blink a few times and managed to make the blur fade away slowly. And returned.

"Oh, that's why." Gon murmured. "You two are very similar in many different ways." He stared at me.

"Roy, why aren't you responding?" Pearl waved a hand over my face.

"Maybe he's uncomfortable with us." Again, the tall guy spoke.

"Nah." I think Killua was the one who spoke but it didn't sound like him.

"Roy, huh? I'm Gon!" He reached out a hand in front of me. "This is Leorio." He looked at the tall guy with them.

"Yo!" I think he was speaking to me.

I waved faintly at them and tried to pretend that I'm not having any difficulties.

"Why are you staring down Roy?" I felt someone link arms with me.

"He's your boyfriend?" I don't know who said that.

"W-What? No!" The arm disappeared.

I rubbed my eyes again and everything looked more clearly for once. I met their faces and saw them all staring at me. I returned their looks.

"Sorry, I think my vision is a bit hazy." I didn't notice that I was now staring at the space between them.

"Maybe you need to visit a doctor." Killua elbowed Leorio.

"Ouch! I'm not an ophthalmologist!"

"No need. Thanks." I replied in a monotone. "And Killua, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" He replied.

"There are people following us." I sensed the guys sitting at the bench near our group tense up.

"Really? Must be your stalkers Killua!" Leorio gave Killua a pat on the back.

"Gross." He turned to Leorio while removing the wrapper of a lollipop. "Anyway, I know." He glanced at the ones positioned by the bench.

"Seems serious. Let's leave the three alone for a moment." Pearl mused. She pushed Gon and Leorio away from us.

Killua looked at me and sucked on his lollipop. "So?"

"It's just—"

"Killua, we're going to the arcade!" Gon yelled. Pearl, him and Leorio were already far from us. I didn't notice.

"You don't even know how to play! It's useless!" Killua screamed back.

"I'll practice!" He yelled again. Killua stared at them with a crooked smile on his face then turned to me, the smile vanishing in the process.

I can feel the shifting movement of the people following us. They must be listening closely to our conversation.

"Nostrades are hunting Alluka." I don't care who hears us talking.

"Oh really?" He didn't seem much surprised. "The one near the trees right?" I glanced behind me and saw the guy on a fake date.

"Yes." I nodded slightly.

"I know about them already." He said seriously. "Just don't let your guard down." He started walking away with Alluka holding his hand. I followed them.

"Why are they following you guys exactly?" I was a few steps behind them while making quick glances at the people advancing slowly behind us.

"I think you already know the answer to that question." He turned to me briefly then looked away. So, mission accomplished, I've told him already. But I feel empty.

My phone vibrated. I took it out and saw a text from Pearl. I looked at my other messages before reading Pearl's new one. While reading another purposeless text from the private number, an idea suddenly popped in my head.

"By the way, why do you trust Pearl?" I asked curiously then I moved beside Alluka quickly.

"No reason. I felt like it."

"Maybe because you've met her before?"

"Probably."

"You've talked to her before?"

"Kind of." We stopped walking. "Why are you asking me these questions? You want me to pay you for looking after Alluka?" Tempting, but I'm not after that.

I ignored his question. "Have you worked with her before?" Several times to the point that she has come to trust you?

"Man, you sure are one jealous boyfriend." He smirked. "And yes, I think."

I sped up and walked ahead of them. Then I stopped in front of Killua and looked at him straight in the eye.

"Are you Pearl's business partner?"

He paused and looked down. He hesitated for a moment then answered,

"No."

* * *

**A/N:** The last filler chapter is the next chapter! We can finally see where this story's heading! :DDD The first arc officially begins on chapter nine. LALALALALALA

Thank you so much for the reviews! Reading them makes me feel so happy knowing that you wasted your time just to read this random group of words that come into mind unanticipated.

Thank you. I mean it.

Questions! Do you believe Killua? What is fluff? LOLOLOL Do you want to see it here?

Reviews are wonderful! :) Thanks for reading!


	9. I Spy

**FANART! Thank you the-ultimate-star! You're so awesome! I should probably owe you my life.  
Please check them out!**

- fav. me /d5l2ywr

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Inspiration: Stop and Stare by OneRepublic _You start to wonder why you're here not there. And you'd give anything to get what's fair._

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HUNTER X HUNTER EXCEPT MY OCs.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: I Spy**

Tch! Damn business partner.

_"No."_

_He looked up._

_"Who are you talking about?" He asked me while sounding as point-blank as possible._

_"Are you lying?" I squinted my eyes. Dumb question, as if he'd tell._

_"Do I have a reason to lie?"_

_"But you said you've worked with Pearl a few times..."_

_"Maybe, maybe not. I don't remember. And working with Pearl doesn't make me her business partner immediately." He glared at me. "What are you implying here?"_

* * *

Con't of Report #1

Week Four

The representations are as follows:

AB = Killua Zoldyck

AC = Alluka Zoldyck

BC = Spy

021012

Room 2089 of xx Hotel, 2:10 P.M.

AB goes out to 'work' while AC is asleep...

* * *

I tore the paper I'm holding and threw the sample report in the air like confetti. Written there was the single most point of my life where I felt such a loser. It was frustrating. And I still have to include that on the real report.

Just think about it, I was_ this_ close. I was this close in squeezing the slimy truth out of him but he still wouldn't admit it, even if I had all my evidences dangling in front of his eyes. I even used all my knowledge about human psychology on him just to make him say the words I wanted to hear. But it didn't worked. He just turned the tables on me. How the hell does he do that? I know it's him. I'm sure of it. He's the freaking business partner.

Pearl also knows it's him.

When I asked her about the real name of her business partner, she refused to tell me, adding that I might steal him away from her or something. Well, excuse me! I don't give a crap about him. He's just annoying me and I want to see the end of that.

She also added that he's "so important and top-secret that the mere mention of his name is an international crime." That sentence makes me think he's just some supercomputer she stole. Of course that's a crime. But, assuming he _is_ a real person, why does Pearl even need him to be her business partner? What does she do to actually need one? Yup, I don't know a lot of things about Pearl.

Let's see... Pearl actually has high standards when it comes to choosing men. It doesn't have to be a lover, the "men" I'm referring to here can be of any relation to her, even a business partner. And coincidentally, she has worked with Killua before. They're in good terms. Killua is—_cough_—well, maybe he met her standards. So, Killua is the business partner. My logic is failure.

Wait, what about Milluki?!

Ehem... Back on topic.

So anyway, on that day, while I was in the midst of thinking what tactic to use next on Killua, Pearl butt in and tried to drag me towards the game center. I broke free from her then left. End of story.

But, to lengthen that boring ending, after I left, I went straight home and put the rest of the watching under Pearl's care. I was too bummed out that I even made her do the transcribing of the conversations and the summarizing about what happened that day. Fortunately, she didn't mind doing it despite the fact that I'm blatantly neglecting my responsibilities.

One would've thought that since Pearl's my elder step-sister, she should be reproaching me about it, right? Wrong. She was really okay with me slaving her. So, I had no choice but to also be, like, _okay with it_.

After I cleaned up the mess I made, I took another sample report and read it. And isn't this interesting. It's the day when I first encountered Nanika.

_"Hello Roy." AC stands up and walks towards me, "Give me a piece of your hair."_ It's painful to pluck a strand since my hair is shorter.

_I give what he asked for._

_"Give me a piece of your skin." _At that time, I had absolutely no idea about what's going to happen next but still, I obeyed.

_I gently tear the a piece of skin on my left arm and pass it to AC._

_"Give me your handkerchief." I give it to him._

To cut a long story short, what happened afterwards was a moment I'd probably live on without experiencing. So, Killua also stands up and he placed himself beside Alluka. Then he takes my phone and breaks it in half. He turns to Alluka and asks him to fix it. Alluka does so. Then he gives it back to me and states that I must never wish for something greedy, for it might lead us to our doom.

I didn't know what he meant by that back then, but after conducting tests and with the help of a little perseverance, Killua revealed that there is another person living inside Alluka, which he calls Nanika. Nanika is something more like a genie but they contrast in many ways. Nanika can grant many wishes once one obeys what Nanika requests. And that's about it. I'm sure there's more but I'll find it out in due time. Oh, he also added that Alluka is a girl and I should stop calling him a "he".

I read the rest of what's written then put it away. I reached for the photos next.

I checked them out one by one and it seems that all of these photos are organized according to chronological order. They showed scenes of some of my targets's activities or the places they went to. Last week is when Pearl got Killua all for herself, and when I looked at the photos from that time, almost every one had his face on it. Literally. She disregarded the places he went to that week. I'm so not letting her use my camera again.

I gave one last check on all the sample reports then filed them. I also scanned through the photos quickly again then put them back to where they were originally placed. Then I went back to typing on my laptop. I also put on earphones. I planned to listen to the conversations inside my voice recorder and start transcribing them.

When I pressed the play button, this conversation started:

_"You're not an assassin anymore, aren't you?"_ That's Pearl.

_"Yeah, so?"_ Killua replies.

_"How disappointing. I was going to ask you to get someone_ _killed for me."_

_"Who?"_

I immediately searched my laptop for this conversation and found out that this was from their talk Monday last week. I think Alluka was with them at that time. I was too busy that day so I wasn't able to hear them myself. From this conversation alone, one can become curious about who Pearl wants to kill. But it stops right there. Someone interrupts them and what came afterwards was a long and tasteless conversation about pizza.

After minutes of proofreading, I lied down on the sofa. And it finally hit me. I'm so stupid; I'm doing secret reports about my targets while inside their sanctuary.

I sighed, then I suddenly had the urge to glance out the window. Everything looked so unbelievably peaceful. _Too peaceful_. Too peaceful that it came to the point that it has become stale. And boring. It's also so quiet in here that only the constant ticking of the clock managed to fill the room.

I finished proofreading my reports then decided to take out a domino box I had since I was a kid. I originally wanted to play dominoes with Alluka but he wanted to play cards. If I remember correctly, this box was given to me by someone. Me, that doesn't matter now.

I opened the lid gently and inside the box was 120 dominoes. Five of them are colored striking neon orange. 120 was the number of all the clients I've worked under since I started this career and five of which are regulars. I always add a domino every time I serve a new client.

Now that I think about it, why had I decided to become a spy?

I dismissed the idea of questioning myself and started lining the dominoes upright at random. Then I toppled them. I found enjoyment in doing this. Sigh, I am bored.

When a few minutes have passed, I heard movement inside Alluka's room. I must've been too noisy with toppling the dominoes that I woke him up. The door slowly opened and I saw a half-awake Alluka.

"Roy, what are you playing?" He asked me with his eyes half open. He peeked outside of his room while stretching.

"Nothing. I'm just playing with these dominoes." I said after closing my laptop. "You should go back to sleep. I must've have woken you up."

"No. I'm not sleepy anymore." Alluka yawned. He then walked towards the telephone. "Where is onii-chan?"

"Where else?" I replied emptily. Alluka picked up the phone and dialed some numbers while playing with its cord. Then he faced me and his eyes widened.

"You wear glasses?" He asked while I picked up the dominoes and put them all back into the box.

"Yeah?" Ever since Pearl pushed me inside some eye doctor's clinic, I started to wear glasses. But I only wear them every time I go in my room. Yet today, I need to stay here inside all day so I wore my glasses. I looked at him and noticed a sudden change in his expression.

"I didn't know your eyes aren't in mint condition." I smiled at his comment. I didn't know either. I thought they were just side effects of not using my Nen ability for a while.

"No answer.." I heard Alluka mumble. I stood up, picked up my laptop and put it into my bag along with the box.

"Want to order somethi—"

"Roy, how about we visit onii-chan today?" Alluka cut me off while rubbing his eyes. He then went back inside his room. I waited for him to come out.

"I thought he doesn't want us to go to him?" I don't want to go out.

"He never said that." Well, he certainly said that to me.

Alluka walked outside his room and carried a brown jacket.

"Your onii-chan doesn't want me to, so let's just forget about that." I stared at him carefully while anticipating sudden movements.

"I'll go by myself then." He said as he rushed towards the door.

"No, wait Alluka!" I grabbed his hand. "Let's just call him first."

"I already did." Ha ha. Dumb idea.

"But he didn't answer. This time I'll promise he will." Shit, I don't even have his number to begin with.

I let go off his hand and I gestured to him to follow me. I then took my phone from the table and pretended to dial his number but dialed Pearl's number instead. _Please be where Killua is._

"_Hello?_"

"Pearl—" No, the voice is different. This is.. "Killua?!" I yelled.

"Onii-chan!" Alluka cried. "Give me the phone!"

"_Yo!_"

"Wait, Alluka.." I put a finger on my lips. "Why do you have Pearl's phone?"

"_Because the bitch just wouldn't leave me alone._" I sighed. Then I heard Pearl protesting from the background.

"Onii-chan!" Alluka thrashed his arms at me. "Give me the phone NOW!" I gave it to him and gently massaged my forehead.

"Hi onii-chan. Can we go there?" Alluka sung. Then he turned on the loudspeaker.

"_Yeah, sure._" There was a gleam on Alluka's eyes.

"Great!" Alluka stuck his tongue at me. "We'll be there in ten."

"_I'll be expecting you. Give the phone to Roy._" He gave it to me and I turned off the loudspeaker.

"What?"

"_Tell your girlfriend to leave me alone or I'll strangle her._" I felt the urge to punch something.

"She's not my girlfriend." I said acridly. "And strangle her all you want. I don't care." I'm a bit angry at her for a lot of reasons.

"_Don't regret the permission you gave me._" I heard Pearl complain and whine again.

"Don't regret giving Alluka the permission to see you." I countered scornfully. "I'll go, too."

"_Tch._" He hung up. I can't get the idea why he doesn't want me to go there. It's not like I'll cause him to have bad luck with his job or anything.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Alluka squealed and jumped all over the place. I sighed and unwillingly picked up my phone and bag.

"Where did he say he's at?" I asked after I locked their door.

"I don't know what the shop's name is but I think it's somewhere on the other city."

"How far?" I don't know the least bit about Padokea's topography, except where Kukuroo Mountain is and where this hotel lies.

"I don't know." Great.

"Call your onii-chan again. Ask him about it." I handed him my phone and we walked towards the elevator.

We stopped at the fourth floor and I put my bag in my room. Alluka still hasn't made contact with his brother.

"Are you having trouble?" I took off my glasses.

"No, his phone is turned off." His tone was a bit down.

"We'll have to ask directions then." Why the hell must Killua agree?!

We returned to the elevator and arrived at the lobby. Alluka gave me my phone back and we headed towards the other city through a taxi.

Once we arrived there, the crowd was so thick and impenetrable. Many people are walking around like it's rush hour. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was already three in the afternoon. The town is evidently busy today. There were some people in black hanging around the dark alleys and some high class people in limousines. Everyone from different society classes have gathered today. Is there an event going on?

"Onii-chan should be somewhere around here." Alluka looked at different directions. "I think we should go back. I've never been here before."

"Okay." Thank goodness.

"Hey!"

I turned around and saw Pearl heading my way. Just great.

"Hi." I waved at her halfheartedly. "What's up?"

"Hi Roy. Hi Alluka." Pearl smiled at us.

"Hello." Alluka smiled back.

"Killua's over there. Unfortunately, Killua didn't allow Roy to come with me so Roy stays here, Alluka." She flashed me a mischievous grin.

I rolled my eyes at her. "No, Roy comes with me." Alluka intertwined his arm with mine.

"But you won't be able to see your onii-chan.." Pearl is irked for some reason.

"Tell him to approve Roy seeing him. It isn't fair." Alluka said innocently.

Pearl looked at him curiously then she turned to me. "I'll go ask him."

"You've finally become his obsequious servant." I teased her and she snubbed me.

After about five minutes, Pearl came back and announced Killua's decision.

"He agrees. Let's go." Pearl beckoned us to follow her towards the large building about fifty meters from where we stood.

While walking, Pearl grabbed Alluka's hand and they both marched happily towards the building. I walked right behind them and scanned the surroundings carefully.

"What's he doing there?" I asked while glancing at my watch.

"He doesn't want to tell you." Pearl looked at me and stuck her tongue out.

"All right!" I sang. "I don't mind him not telling me." I'll figure it out myself. I just hope it's not another one of his "appointments" with his friends. I'm not comfortable with them. Gon's alright, though.

"By the way, Roy, Killua still has my phone." Pearl turned to just when We were about to enter the building.

"So?" I went ahead of them.

"Get it from him!" I stopped walking and turned to Pearl.

"No way." I said with a smirk. "Your problem, your solution." Then I waved a finger. This is the first time I've done this.

She pouted at me. I ignored her.

I arrived first at the entrance of the building. I can't help but look up and admire at the sparkling view of the building with the rays of the sun radiating on the windows. It was like a view from the sea, like a blanket of shimmering glitter. I only stared at it for about thirty seconds and my neck felt stiff instantly. Not only that, I also got flash blindness. Stupid weak body.

I felt Pearl touch my back then whacked my head lightly.

"Easily impressed as always." She ruffled my hair. I am not easily impressed. It's just that, I'm not used to seeing these kinds of views. I'm not particularly familiar with entering at the main entrance either. My time of arrival is usually after the day's done and I enter through _many different entrances_.

I felt someone holding my left arm. Maybe it's Alluka. He's also probably the one who pulled me in the building. Luckily, my vision's getting a bit clearer and I prevented myself from tripping.

"Wow. Automatic doors." I said dryly, not really sounding amused.

But the inside of the building was better actually. I can recognize the features of a fountain, and because of the huge windows, the sunlight made it seemed like it's one giant overflowing sea of diamonds. Comfortable looking sofas and chairs are placed near it for the people wasting their time here. And there's also this reception desk with a noticeable color brown and its different shades. Walking towards the right would lead one facing about four or five elevators in different directions with stainless steel doors. I can't make out some parts since my vision's slightly impaired but other than those attributes, none are worth mentioning. The company name and logo are screaming right in front of you, yet I can't understand them because of my damn eyesight.

And it goes without saying that there are many people here.

Pearl looked at me. "Killua's office is at the tenth floor." Office? What kind of job did he took?

"Let's go through the elevator!" Pearl and Alluka ran towards the elevator with everyone looking at them, and then they all looked at me.

"Hurry up Roy!" Pearl shouted and it only made them more conspicuous.

I forced myself to walked towards the elevator even if I really want to go back home.

"To the tenth floor!" Alluka and Pearl shrilled in unison the moment I stepped inside the clear see-through elevator. Awesome, you can see everything that's happening outside here like it was taking place right in front of you. My hands touched the smooth surface delicately and drew the conclusion that this is made out of glass. I turned to my right and saw the control panel with the same features.

"Ahem!" Pearl caught my attention. Her eyes signaled at the control panel. So she's expecting me to press for them?

"What?" I said indifferently, pretending I didn't get what she meant.

"Ten. Press it. Hurry!" She narrowed her eyes at me. I looked at her doubtfully. "We're not getting any younger here, darling." Pearl hissed.

"Fine." I pushed the button. We started moving up. Amazing, even the floor's made out of glass! And it seemed like we're floating on air.

"What does onii-chan do here?" Alluka asked Pearl.

"It's a..." She leaned closer to Alluka and whispered something.

"It's our little secret, okay?" She let out a saccharine smile. "Don't let anyone know." Pearl glanced at me.

"Okay! I promise." Alluka nodded at her. I continued to look down and stared at the view from above. I'm not really interested. I'm only interested in finding out who the business partner is at the moment.

Wait, that's not important.

We arrived at tenth floor. I walked out first. Pearl looked around then suddenly, I saw a twinkle in her eye. Not good.

She and Alluka stopped walking while I continued to move forward. When I looked behind me, I saw her whispering something to Alluka again. I moved away from them bit suddenly, she and Alluka pushed me towards a redhead in her twenties. And as expected, I bumped into her and her hold on the objects loosened. How cliché.

"Ah!" I startled her, of course. I stopped for a brief moment as I watched everything she held slip away from her fingers. Then she hastily tried to get and gather all of them again.

"I'm sorry." I knelt down and helped pick up some of the files she held, until my vision started becoming hazy again.

"It's okay." She picked up the remaining things that fell. I stood up and wore my glasses.

She looked up to me and was somewhat thunderstruck and speechless. I raised an eyebrow at her. What was that for?

Then I heard giggles from behind me. I bit my lip awkwardly.

"Hello!" She greeted me using an incredibly high pitched voice. I didn't even think it was possible for someone to surpass Pearl's screeching voice.

I just looked at her uneasy even though my face doesn't show it. I noticed that she has beautiful ashy gray eyes.

"Do you have an appointment?" Her tone was lower than before. Thank goodness. I thought my eardrums were about to shatter.

"You two look good together!" Pearl teased while giggling.

"Yeah!" You're not helping, Alluka.

I shot them irritated glances but they still didn't stop snickering. I looked at the girl in front of me to apologize but what the hell, she's busy blushing because of Pearl's comment.

Damn.

I bowed. "Sorry, excuse them."

"No, no it's okay." I looked up. She's avoiding my gaze and is blushing badly. I stared at her, not knowing what to do.

"Oh yeah, we're looking for Killua." I said, my voice shaking because of embarrassment.

"Killua?" She tilted her head.

"Acting cute." Pearl muttered. I looked at her and saw the mocking smile gone from her face.

"Zoldyck?" I asked vapidly.

"Oh, Zoldyck-sama! He's over there." She pointed at a large door. "Let me set things up for you." She winked at me. I winced.

"Okay." Pearl went to my side and glared at the girl as she entered the room.

"Your eyes are glowing green. Care to tell me why?" I gibed. Pearl rolled her eyes at me as she followed the girl inside.

"Take off those glasses." She barked before entering. I took them off instantly.

I sighed and went near the giant glass windows. I turned around and felt Alluka's presence near me.

"Onii-chan's office is cool!" I turned to him and saw a grin. "It's pretty up here!"

"Yeah." I said softly.

Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Where are you?" I guess there are some places where this business partner don't have his eyes on.

"It's quite weird having to not call you a name." My reply has absolutely no relevance to his question.

"I know. Now where are you? I can't find you anywhere." He sounds just like my mom though there is a hint of insincerity in this message.

"I'm in heaven, trying to find your name on the list." My mind is not functioning well today.

"Yeah, right. As if you'd go to heaven." Hell must've been where you thought I'd be going. "If you're inferring that you don't know my name, oh puh-lease! I've already told you about it!" Yeah, and I fainted immediately right after reading it because of how exquisite and beautiful it is.

"Really? Could you repeat it?" Nonetheless, I'm a bit excited in knowing, even though I know he'll lie.

"Karen ;) A fake name, like yours." And a girl's name, too. "But I doubt that you'd lie to me about your name. How dumb would that be?" So he didn't suspect me.

"Why a girl's name? You want to be a girl?"

"Nope." He replied frankly. "Now answer me, where are you?"

Then the large door opened again. Pearl exited then walked towards us. The redhead went outside after Pearl did and disappeared into the hall. She didn't bother glancing at us. Pearl must have something to do with this.

"Onii-chan wants to see Alluka but Roy stays. Is that okay?" Pearl spoke in a cheerful tone.

Alluka looked at me sympathetically. I nodded, urging him to agree.

"I'll be okay." I put my phone away. "Go to your onii-chan!" Alluka gave me a faint smile then he ran inside the room. I shifted my gaze to Pearl and gave her a pat on the shoulder. She looked at my hand.

"Spy cam. If found out, crush immediately." She raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed then said exasperatedly, "Just go. Now." Then she danced back into the room.

I walked towards the leather sofas near the window and sat comfortably. Not many people are roaming near this area of the floor. They must be busy working at the other places. After a few minutes, I took my phone out again and turned on the camera. I adjusted the focus and after a while, I managed to view the entire room.

The office is large and roomy, yet it felt vacant because of the excess space. The only furniture in it are: a dark brown table stood at the center; two leather armchairs similar to the sofa I'm sitting on and are placed in front of the table; and coffee brown bookshelves placed on the left side. The wall's color is off white, which made the room look clean and professional, but there's always a touch of rich brown gold here and there. It also seemed somewhat larger and a bit public because of the large mocha-framed windows at the right side and behind the table. Some parts of the room were embellished with different abstract paintings colored in black, white and brown. On the desk lied a white laptop, a lamp, some papers and a bowl of coal. _Or is it really coal?_

I focused the camera on the bowl. The coal looked a lot like irregular-shaped chocolate pieces. And on the lower left part of it is where a very familiar logo is printed. I focused in again but had a hard time understanding it.

I tried again but this time, I wore my glasses. The words "Little Secret" are written in fine print. I think I've heard it somewhere before.

Of course! It's a famous chocolate company!

And instead of the bowl looking out-of-place, the office did. Weird.

I moved camera and faced Killua, who just came out after doing something underneath the table. He wore some decent looking clothes—not like what he wore earlier—but that too looked partly inappropriate. Then Alluka popped in the screen and stood in front of the huge desk. He was talking to Killua and had his hands excitedly placed on the desk. He is chatting with Killua and is evidently happy.

Pearl advanced forward and spoke to Killua after Alluka's done. Killua gave Pearl an indifferent look. Then after a few seconds, he reclined against his chair and put his feet on the table. He stuck his tongue out at Pearl. Pearl must be demanding her phone back and apparently, he doesn't want to give it just yet. Then Pearl started attacking Killua and ultimately missed. Killua ran off to the other side of the room. Pearl lunged at him again but as expected, she missed because he's not there anymore. And so, the two started chasing each other around the room like little children with Alluka joining his brother. This continued for several seconds.

Is there something so valuable inside Pearl's phone that she just had to get it back? Probably, but it's irrelevant right now. Moving on.

I switched to the camera that I secretly placed on Alluka and made it focus around the area more carefully while Pearl argued with Killua again. The camera moved around the room and I scanned the place. I relentlessly shifted from one direction to another until something shiny caught my eye.

When I moved the camera towards that direction, I flinched in shock. What I saw was two men in black suits, wearing shades and holding guns—an assault rifle and a sniper rifle—that are aimed directly at Pearl and Killua.

* * *

**A/N:** I liek pie. If anyone wants to know, I revised this chapter about ten times because it was unsatisfactory.

"Little Secret" is taken from the title of the song "Dirty Little Secret" by All American Rejects.

What do you think of this chapter? Can KilluaxPearl see the light of day?

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**I FORGOT TO SAY SOMETHING TO THESE PEOPLE! **So here I go..

**to Nispedana**: Nope, I found the pic while surfing the 'net. I wish I could credit the real owner. By the way, thank you so much for reading and adding my story to HNL!

**to Friki**: Hush!

**to Sherry Blendy**: Thank you so much for reading! I.. I feel kinda shy about thanking you on the wikia so I'll be thanking you here from now on. :D

Also, thank you so much to **Starly Starlit**, **Sheeba Scarlet, Hana-tachi, the-ultimate-star, Aimee Sani, Pandora Destiny, Guests 12/2/12, 11/29/12 and 11/4/12, and tifa2001** for reviewing the previous chapter and the chapter before that.

Special thanks to **Lyra Klaude** for the long review. :D

Your reviews really meant the world to me. Gimme some!


	10. The Stupidest

Inspiration: Something More by Secondhand Serenade _And all these masks we wore, we never knew what we had in store._

Just to inform, this fanfic mainly focuses on Killua's side of the story (you know, he and Gon separated, Kurapika with the scarlet eyes, and Leorio studying to be a doctor), so please forgive me if the other main protagonists are usually not present.

**DISCLAIMER: HUNTER X HUNTER IS OWNED BY TOGASHI FOREVER. DEAL WITH IT.**

**SLIGHT OOC WARNING. Thanks to the-ultimate-star for helping out. ;D**

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**Chapter 10: The Stupidest**

Two men wearing black formal suits are located on top of a building in the northeast of this one. The guy holding an assault rifle had blond hair, while the other had brown. It was almost impossible to tell them apart because of their probably the same body build and skin tone. When I zoomed out, they were even hardly noticeable.

They appeared to be camouflaging very effectively because of the coal black elevator doors behind them. From the spycam that I attached on Pearl, they look like tiny insignificant dabs of dirt seemingly standing on Alluka's shoulder. Good thing the lenses of this camera are awesome.

I focused in again. This time, I searched their faces. They weren't familiar, but definitely from the mafia. I observed them again with the objective of finding the origin of the gleam that caught my attention. Oh, it seems to come from the sun's reflecting on their shades.

I slowly returned my focus on my targets to see what they are doing. I stopped midway when for a fraction of a second, the guys looked as if they contracted and readied themselves to pull the trigger.

I instantaneously sat on the seat nearest to the door, bracing myself for anything that might happen. Then I thought of the things I'll do once the bullet or _bullets_ came crashing in. I can't afford to lose both of them. Yet I can't ignore the fact that Killua always has his guard on high and can dodge it in a heartbeat, so I'm not quite worried about him. With that said, Pearl is defenseless, utterly capable of getting shot anytime soon.

This is ironic. I hate her yet I want to save her. Honestly speaking, even if she's obtuse and aggravating and killing her off would feel like ultimate freedom, I can't lose her or else my foster parents will kill me.

I returned to my former position and watched the suspicious guys outside so intensely that one might think I'm completely poring over my cellphone. I zoomed in on them and descried every single thing they did to make sure—

"Hello!" Ah! My ears! I could almost swear I heard my concentration broke into pieces. I was about to reproach the person but instead, I inhaled and let it go.

I calmly turned to look at where that stentorian voice came from and saw the redhead from before standing a feet away from me. I tried to ignore her in hopes of shaking her off but it did the exact opposite.

"Would you like some refreshments?" Because I pretended to have not noticed her, this time, she tapped on my shoulder. When I faced her, she flashed her pearly whites that reached up to her ears. At this rate, I won't be able to concentrate again. Talk about distractions. Sigh, might as well play along.

"No, thanks. I'm fine." I said while not making eye contact. Despite her being here, I tried to regain focus. I also tried to send out the impression that I'm just so darn busy at the moment that I can't even spare a few seconds just to see her face again.

"I see." Her lips formed an uneasy smile. She finally got a hint. When I looked at her embarrassed face, I unnaturally felt bad. Then I remembered, it's not the time to be nice.

"Pardon my rudeness, but why aren't you invited inside by Zoldyck-sama?" Her voice still held unto the same enthusiasm as before. I blinked at her apathetically and glanced at my phone.

"I don't know. You should be the one to know that, right?" I stood up and walked pass her.

"Yeah." She said with a tiny shy voice.

"May I know your name?" I sounded a little discourteous. "You're Killua's secretary, right?"

"Oh, my name is Mel and yes, I am Zoldyck-sama's secretary." She beamed. That smile of hers is seriously starting to bug me.

I stared at her. She smiled at me again, but it was a forced one.

"Did Pearl do something to you?" I blurted out.

"Oh!" She said ruefully. "Pearl-san was er, okay." There is hint of irresolution in her voice. "She set up an appointment so I was expecting you. And you are?"

"I'm Roy." I closed my phone and hastily walked towards one of the large windows to see the men in suits and guess how far they really are from where I stood.

"See you later! Excuse me." Mel sounded reticent this time. I watched her walk away from me from the corner of eye. I was about to proceed with observing the assassins outside when I suddenly thought of something.

"Did Killua say something about me?" My tone was accusing. She stopped immediately and turned to me.

"Oh, to be honest, yes. He said you were misgiving." She lowered her head. I nodded at her. Ha, I knew it. This disguise was meaningless, but no turning back now.

"Thanks." I smiled. Mel covered her face with a hand and continued to walk away. Finally I got rid off her! I then resumed on searching the view outside.

After that, I took my phone again and watched what's happening inside the room. At the same time, I tried to find an angle where I can successfully look at the guys with such clarity. Fortunately, I found one near the potted plant made out of plastic.

I made quick glances at my phone. Pearl and Killua had already calmed down and finally got along. At the moment, they're feasting on the chocolate inside the bowl. Nothing much to tell.

Meanwhile, the guys in the suits still remained in their former position. However, the one holding the assault rifle kept looking to his left. I quickly moved to other angles and searched the one he's exchanging looks with.

I saw no one else. But that's highly unlikely. I'm guessing that the building they're on are crawling with their subordinates and comrades.

I turned my focus back on my phone. Pearl is standing up and has her hands firmly placed on Killua's table. Alluka is talking with his brother and is eating the last pieces of chocolate that he has on his hand. The two guys are not visible from here but they can be seen from Alluka's spy cam.

Then I stopped. Why am I acting like their bodyguard?

Nevermind.

I stared at them again. This time, the one holding the sniper quickly raised a phone to his ear. I can't tell much but I think he mouthed one word and afterwards, he moved to a position, preparing to shoot.

Someone will get shot any second now.

I moved cautiously towards the entrance of the office again. I leaned against the steel door and kept my attention focused on my phone. Then I reached for the door handle and held it tightly, preparing myself to act once the bullet has been fired.

My spycam is pointed directly at the two men. Currently, the one with the assault rifle is now locking on either Pearl or Killua.

My heart immediately started beating fast. My hands felt moist and my breathing's narrowing. I then let go off the handle for a second and pinched myself to free all the anxiety and uneasiness I'm feeling.

After that, I returned to my former position and waited quietly.

Finally, a bullet flew in.

I opened the door immediately and stepped inside. I felt the bullet pass near my ear with only an inch distance.

I made one quick glance around the room and saw both Killua and Alluka near the bookshelves, with Alluka covering his face with his hands. Pearl was crouching down behind the table. I eventually met their gazes. They all faced me with bewildered eyes. I broke away and looked around. The window has an irreversible hole in the lower left corner and shards are scattered near that area. I didn't hear the crashing of the glass. The shock might have numbed my senses, blurring my nerves.

I closed the door behind me while keeping my eyes on the window and it was the stupidest decision ever.

"Roy.." Pearl croaked. "What are you doing here...?"

"I—" I was about to answer when a rain of bullets instantly came flying in, completely nuking out the windows. There was a loud sound of crashing everywhere. Glass shattered into thousands of pieces, littering the floor and making it difficult to move from one place to another.

I swiftly pushed myself against the cold and now closed door. I tried to move towards the bookshelf but I was fixed in place because they are shooting at my direction. One false move would lead to my death, yet I tried to move again. Three consecutive bullets came, aimed at me. I went back to my original position for safety.

The firing continued for two full minutes and still came from the same direction. They still haven't managed to shoot anyone of us, especially me. I'm lucky the guys have poor aim. Not one bullet has been able to land on my skin.

Spoke too soon.

A bullet pierced though my right hand as I tried to mindlessly open the door again. Pearl shrieked and attempted to move towards me but was inhibited by the continuous firing of the bullets. I managed to open the door but the pain overtook me in a second.

Yet it's impossible. I should have been dead by now instead of having to get only an itty-bitty wound.

"Idiot." Killua muttered. I looked at him and saw him hugging Alluka. He whispered something to him and nodded at Pearl. Then in a split second, he rushed outside the office.

What he did was also reckless. The guys followed him and shot at every direction he moved to. Someone noticed what's happening at this part of the building and screamed. I don't know what in the world he was thinking but Killua suddenly jumped out of the building. Pearl then immediately ran towards where Alluka is and covered him.

I wanted to go after him but I can't risk getting another wound, maybe even a serious one. I turned to see what happened to the remaining two and noticed that not one bullet managed to penetrate the where they stood nor the area around them. That must be the securest place on this floor. A force field—there must be one there. I still remained in place, letting the blood drip from my hand.

The pain is slowly spreading from my hand to my arm and pretty soon, there'll be a grimace of pain plastered on my face.

The firing finally stopped. They gave up?

"He killed them." Pearl licked her lips and hurried towards me. Alluka followed her while holding her hand. She used her ability again to close my wound and the bullet flung out of it. I looked up at her after realizing what she just said.

Killua then came in a moment later. He somehow subtly looked like he was just electrified.

"Wow, so cool!" Killua's intonation was unfathomable that I can't decide whether he's feigning amazement or it was just plain sarcasm. He then ran to where we stood and held Alluka closely. "Is that your Nen?"

"None of your business." Pearl rolled her eyes at him. "How come you act like your life's not in danger in the first place?"

"Technically, it was highly unlikely for them to reach us if we were standing at that part in the room and they were firing from that angle."

"Then why didn't you tell me about that before?!" Pearl sounded frantic with disappointment.

"Do I care about your safety? No, I don't." He doesn't sound sincere about it though.

"Why you little—!" She growled and prepared to attack.

"You knew?" I interrupted. I blocked Pearl using my arm.

"Of course, I'm not stupid." He sounded arrogant. "Unlike some people who rush inside people's offices even if they were strictly forbidden to do so..."

I sighed.

"We were almost massacred by your fanboys and you're still worrying over that? Move on, dude."

"But then, if you hadn't have entered here, nobody would have gotten hurt." He stated, somewhat dignified.

"Sorry, I must be misunderstanding this but, what you're trying to say is, you're worried about me?" A smile crept on my lips.

"Yes it is a misunderstanding. Don't flatter yourself." He said in a dangerous tone.

"STOP!" Pearl screamed.

We both looked at her with an annoyed expression on our faces. She brushed her hair with her fingers and coughed.

"Someone's coming." She whispered.

We all looked outside the door simultaneously. I saw no one but I noticed Killua wince.

"Uh-oh." He gulped.

"Onii-chan?" Alluka sensed his faint uneasiness and looked at him, confused.

"KILLUA-AAAH!" A young girl with long curly brown hair sprinted towards us within seconds. Her feet were followed by a long trail of smoke, indicating that she really sped up just to come here. Her big blue eyes are accompanied by a very evident scowl on her face.

"What on earth did you do?!" Her voice is dripping with frustration.

"Nothing." Killua put his hands in his pockets.

"What do you mean by nothing?! Can't you see the holes on the walls and the shattered glass everywhere?!"

"I can."

"So what did you do?"

"I already told you, I did nothing."

"Liar! How are you expecting me to believe you if this place is crawling with proof that you're indeed lying! And what are you doing here anyway?!"

"I accepted a job. They offered me one, REMEMBER?" Killua glanced at me.

"AND INSTEAD OF DOING YOUR JOB, YOU PLAYED WITH STUPID USELESS GUNS!" She raised her voice so high that it made me and Alluka cover our ears.

Killua rolled his eyes.

"This is one of the best offices in the building and you're just squatting around here! So fess up before I personally kick your ass outta here." The girl stared Killua down.

He looked away. "Fine. Someone located outside tried to kill us and take Alluka away. Happy?"

She blinked. "This office has diamonds studded on the window frames." She looked down in disbelief then turned to him with an intense expression.

"Pay for everything Killua."

"What?!"

"Is there a problem?" She folded her arms in front of her and looked dominating.

"Yes! My money doesn't grow on trees idiot! How the hell are you expecting me to pay for everything?"

"Ask your mommy for money." She stuck her tongue out.

Killua exasperatedly scratched his head. "Geez, this old hag."

She punched Killua and he landed on the floor with a thud. She then looked at me and Pearl, pretending as if nothing ever happened.

"Hello, what are your names?" She eyed Pearl enthusiastically.

"I'm Pearl." Pearl outstretched her hand. The girl's face lit up. It's as if she expected this.

"Oh! Nice to meet you!" The girl took it and they shook hands, "You know my name." She winked.

Pearl flashed her a friendly smile. "You, too!"

The girl smiled back then let go off Pearl's hand. She glanced at Killua grudgingly before looking at me.

Her eyes searched my face and looked at me from head to toe. "And you?" She asked in a gentle and non-suspicious way.

"Roy." I replied in a low tone casually, acting cool. "And what_ is_ your name?"

"Biscuit Krueger. But call me Bisky." She extended a hand in front of me. I shook it. Her voice might be cheerful but she had this distrusting light in her eyes.

"Is something the matter?" My curious voice was in contrast with my face.

Biscuit shook her head. "Nothing." Then her face turned from happy to despair. She clasped her hands together dramatically and said, "It's just my precious gems are all gone. It's so sad."

She captured Pearl's sympathy.

"Oh, don't worry." Pearl crooned and patted her back. Biscuit started sniffing. I saw Killua roll his eyes. I didn't notice him stand up.

"Fine, I'll pay." He huffed. Biscuit looked up and let out a joyous squeal. "But only the windows. Gems and other stuff inside the roof are for you to fix." He added.

Biscuit smiled at him deviously, "Sure." Pearl looked at the both of them then clapped her hands in delight. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh goodie!" She grinned at them. Meanwhile, Alluka tugged at my arm.

"It's the girl from before." Alluka said softly which was almost like a whisper. Killua looked at us then at the figure of someone approaching.

"Z-Zoldyck-sama!" Mel ran towards us. Her face was flushed and haggard. Behind her was a trail of people that looked the same. They were fidgeting and have eyes full of fear.

"We heard gunshots. Many of them. One after another." Mel panted. We all stared quietly at her. She continued, "And crashing. And lots of shattering. Zoldyck-sama, are you okay?"

Killua nodded and gave her a crooked smile. Alluka moved to his side and held his arm.

The people behind Mel exchanged looks. All of them looked seriously frightened. They must be the ones working on the other end of the floor. The gunshots were loud enough to echo throughout the whole floor. Or maybe even on the other floors.

"You can all go back now. It won't happen again." Killua's tone lack reassurance.

"Thank goodness!" Mel heaved a sigh of relief. "I will send janitors immediately to clean this place up. If you'll excuse me." She smoothened out her clothes and signaled the crowd to go back to their workplace. They obeyed her. Then Mel faced Killua again bowed slightly.

"Wait!" Biscuit raised a hand. "Where is Daphne?"

"B-Biscuit-sama!" Mel squirmed again. She turned around and her gaze landed on the child-like figure, "I-I'm sorry I don't know where she is."

"Okay. Please go back to work now. Don't mind us."

"What is this place really?" I asked while observing the whole place.

"A jewelry shop." Biscuit answered me. It was obvious with all the sparkly trinkets inside glass cases.

"And you need this building because?" I murmured to myself.

"Well, you see Roy," Pearl heard my remark. "The building consists of twenty floors. Each floor specializes in one certain gemstone. For example, this floor is responsible for selling opals. Only opals, including every kind and cut possible. This floor also holds jewelries that contain the said gemstone. This is also where people show off their opal jewelry collection or have their special trinkets put on auction. Said auction is held every month on the same floor." Pearl explained. She was reading a pamphlet that I bet she got from the reception office on this floor.

Seconds later, ten janitors arrived in front of us and started cleaning up the place. I looked around me and saw several holes on the walls and furniture.

"Those won't be easy to replace." Biscuit seemed like she's in a state of melancholy.

"Replace what?" Alluka chimed in. Only Biscuit wasn't there to answer that anymore because she walked towards the other end of the floor and followed Mel. From the corner of my eye, I saw her discuss something with her. I thought she was done with her?

"The walls and other stuff, Allu-chan!" Pearl replied instead. She began to touch the tip of his nose.

"What does Biscuit do here?" I asked pearl. She shrugged then faced Alluka.

"Come, let's get ice cream." Unnecessary ideas just kept popping into her head. Pearl grabbed Alluka's hand and looked at Killua, seemingly asking for permission. He just stared at her with no expression on. Pearl glared at him and kept waiting for an answer.

This continued for a minute until Biscuit came back.

"Ice cream?" She smiled. "Let's go!" Biscuit joined the two and glanced at Killua. Pearl starting skipping towards the elevator, making Alluka let go of her hand. He looked at us then back at Pearl.

"They're not going to join us?" He asked worriedly.

"No." Pearl replied with a sneer.

"Oh, okay. We'll bring back ice cream for you onii-chan!" Alluka waved and they walked towards the elevator. For some reason, this made Biscuit pause for a moment. After three seconds, she turned to us with a creepy smile playing on her lips.

"You two supervise them and stay here, okay? No following." She winked at us. This caused me to wince again. Then she went inside the elevator with Pearl and Alluka, and they traveled to the ground floor.

After they're gone, I sat down on the sofa wearily. I rested my back against the leather-upholstered surface and spread my arms around lazily. I feel terribly exhausted that I might even collapse any minute now. It's not like I exerted much effort today. It's just that, I'm emotionally exhausted, and that always gets he better of me. I don't know how to emphasize this enough but, stupid. Weak. Body.

Still, fighting back the tiredness I'm feeling, I lifted my head and searched for Killua. Not here anymore. I tried to catch a glimpse of him here and there but still no sign of him. I gave up. Maybe he's just inside the office, chilling.

Even though this is the last day of my first report, I still have to spy on him like I always do. I can't afford to be laid back because at that precise moment, there would be inaccuracy. I must have eyes like those of a hawk's.

I forced myself to stand up, despite the fact that I'm feeling like the weight of the world is resting right on top of my shoulders. When I did, I saw Mel running back towards the reception desk on this floor. I avoided drawing her attention and walked away immediately. I went near the office door and peeked inside. Killua is indeed inside the room and is keeping a close eye on the janitors who are busy cleaning up. One almost bumped into me but I managed to dodge him, thankfully.

I took out my phone stealthily and tried to capture photos of the office when suddenly..

"Excuse me?" The return of Mel and her squeaky little voice. Dun dun d_uuu_n.

I hastily moved away from her and put my phone away. Her voice gave me an overwhelming sense of panic. I can see her eyes full of questions because she caught me in the act.

"Ugh, h-hi." I stuttered as I spoke. Never had I thought my little moments of carelessness would somehow backfire at me someday.

"What are you doing?" Mel tilted her head on the left innocently, though her voice is filled with high levels of suspicion.

"Ah. Ha-ha." I clapped in fake amusement. "Just taking a picture of the room. The holes look very artistic, don't they?" What in the world am I talking about?

"Yes." She made a hiss then narrowed her eyes on the floor. She muttered "Weirdo." before looking back at me again.

I smiled at her as unfeigned as I possibly can. I tried to hide my uneasiness. I can't believe_ this_ is my reflex action against situations when I find myself cornered.

She stared at me with a raised eyebrow. I can see from her face that she's doubting me. I nervously lowered my head because of embarrassment.

"You're into art then?" She asked while trying to mask her disinterest.

I looked sideways before nodding slowly. She did the same and we avoided each other's eyes. Is this ever uncomfortable, and totally not in a good way.

"Hey." Someone called to us and puffed away the choking air of awkwardness. I looked inside the office and saw Killua eyeing our direction.

"Oh, Zoldyck-sama! I came to tell you about..." In a snap, she forgot all about me and the bind we were in.

Mel then run towards him and began to discuss some things. She was holding some folders all along and are probably going to show all of these to him. And right on cue, she opened one of the folders and pointed at it repeatedly, just to prove her point. I speculated that this might take a while. Good.

Damn! So close. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with a handkerchief. Afterwards, I peeked at them again and saw Killua getting bored.

I yawned and walked inside the office. Now that I've gotten time to looked at this place carefully, I can now see how perfectly well-damaged it is. It was almost wonderfully chaotic. There are about a hundred bullets piled in the middle of the office, and the shards are piled up just beside it. The broken furniture are slowly being taken outside one by one, preparing for the inevitable disposal. The other side of the room was the cleanest one. Not even a single bullet nor a piece of glass managed to stain that area.

"Ah yeah, sure..."

"As you can see, Zoldyck-sama..."

I walked casually across the room while making sure I won't bother the two. I went near the broken windows to examine them. Yeah, the glass is completely wiped out. Not even a small shard of glass can be seen here that one might think they never were here in the first place. I guess those guys were pretty good shooters to have reached this point at that distance. Too bad they failed at hitting their targets.

But they must be strong, too. At first, I'm pretty sure they were only holding rifles. Who would've thought they'd also carry a 28-pound machine gun?

Well, they're dead. End of story.

I traced where the glass one were with a finger and checked if it's really clean as it seems. Yup, no glass anymore. And no gems either. Maybe the window frames weren't even studded with gems in the first place.

I peered outside the window and looked around. The sun was covered by the clouds for a brief moment so I was able to scan the area without making contact with the painfully bright rays. As I thought, the building where they stood on top of is very far from here. And judging from this point of view, they can indeed reach this place—being first class shooters and all.

I hold unto the uneven and crooked frame of the window and peered even farther outside. I looked downward and the sudden epiphany of knowing how far up we actually are dawned upon me. Though not that far for the people on the streets to seem like tiny ants but it's getting there.

"Certainly..."

"And at five, you need to..."

With that said, I glanced at my wristwatch to check what time it is. I saw that it's already half past four. _Whew!_ So many things happened and only so little time has passed.

A warm gust of wind blew pass me and it snatched me away from my thoughts. It also brought unwelcome particles to my eyes. I rubbed them while I continued to survey the area below. I saw people slowly walking towards the base of the building. They looked like they're just directly beneath me. When the crowd got thick enough, I went to get a closer look.

Something's up. Definitely. The police are also down there.

Oh yeah, the attempted assassination. Assassins killing an assassin. That's what caught everyone's attention. I wonder how the staff on the ground floor are faring with all the fuzz?

And how come those guys—the mafioso—know about the location of my targets? Someone else must also be spying on them from afar, and I was ignorant enough not to notice that.

Spying.

I looked behind me slightly and saw the discussion still ongoing.

"So you see, Zoldyck-sama..."

That's a very obsequious way to address Killua. She should just—And damn, _I_ should be listening to their conversation right now! Here comes inaccuracy.

After a while of scolding myself silently, I started paying attention to their conversation. But all they talked about was business stuff that I became too uninterested to continue listening. And when this chitchat dragged on for another minute, I stopped listening all together and just left it to my voice recorder to handle it.

I looked down again and watched as the people scatter around the area. The crowd continued to grow and even the media has started to scurry over here. I guess the police are having a really hard time controlling them now. But I don't get it. Someone tried to kill someone, that's all. There're bullets and shattered glass on the ground because they used guns to try and kill them, that's all.

For some reason, the people still found it interesting. But nobody even died. Is simply knowing what happened satisfying and worthwhile? I think not, but to each his own I guess.

I dismissed the topic and began to look for Alluka and company. The media's pushing their way through the police. I bet they're as confused as me as to why so many persons decided to gather here.

"What's down there?" The voice made me jump. For the second time today, someone managed to startle me.

I looked at my left and saw Killua standing beside me.

"They're taking their time, aren't they?" He mumbled.

"Who?" I replied, not minding if he was talking to himself or to me.

"Alluka... and the others."

I glanced at him and saw him staring out the window, probably searching for Alluka in the crowd.

I did the same for a moment but I stopped and looked at him again. His face wears no particular expression, except for looking a bit snob. Then I remembered about him being in almost every photo Pearl shoved into my hands. What could be possibly fascinating about him? He looks normal. Not even photogenic. He's not in any way special if we're basing on his physical appearance. Maybe except for the unusual silver hair, but other than that, nothing. Is it possible that I'm just immune to his boyish charms or I need to recheck Pearl's taste in men?

People really do have differing opinions.

Then I found myself staring at him. This is actually the first time he approached me. I'm usually the first one who tries to talk to him and so far, many attempts of starting a conversation with him first included a series of verbal assaults that there's almost no space left for the conversation to make sense.

"What?" He spoke, still not looking at me.

"They won't be coming any sooner. Those people are blocking their way." I continued to stare.

He met my eyes for a minute then looked away.

"Where did they say they're going to?" I asked, taking advantage of this atmosphere.

"To some shop that sells ice cream. Maybe over there." He pointed at a colorful one story building quite far from here. I can't see it clearly so I took out my glasses and put them on.

I put my hand in my left pocket to check if the recorder is still on.

"We don't talk like this much." I said with a fake smile.

"Because I thought you don't like civilized conversations." I stopped smiling. He smirked while still keeping his eyes fixed at the shop he mentioned earlier.

"Do tell me how you find Pearl civilized."

"That's harsh coming from her boyfriend."

"I'M NOT—Look, I know you're not stupid so please listen carefully. We are not in a romantic relationship. Or in any relationship for that matter. Heck, we're not even blood-related." For once, I'm telling the truth. Mostly. "We're just relatives." I added, peeved.

"Hating your sibling huh? I know the feeling."

"Then why the hell did you and Alluka decide to stay here anyway? It's close to where your siblings live, for your information." I asked irately but masked my tone with simple curiosity.

"Alluka wants to." Killua replied in a calm manner but the air around him took hold of a different emotion. "She says it's better to stay close with _family_." A shiver went down my spine.

"So you like, hate your family?" I gripped on the metal frame of the window. "The way you said 'family' is a bit unsettling."

"That info doesn't come for free."

"What do you mean?" I don't like where this is going.

"Fight for it?"

"I'm not desperate, thanks."

"You really are boring."

I glared at him.

"Don't get me wrong. You're a boy for Pete's sake. You must love to fight once in a while just for fun."

"I didn't know that was mandatory."

"You're a homo, aren't ya?"

For a minute there, I saw blood gushing out of his mouth, his eyeballs being popped out one by one with a knife and his dismembered body.

"No. I'm straight."

"Or you're Ruyoki pretending to be her twin. Can't blame you really. Life's one hell of a ride when you're with me."

Silver hair tainted with red. Body full of bruises. Cuts and deep wounds. Irrecoverable injuries. Mutilated.

I stared outside while hiding my closed fist from him. I bit on my tongue to prevent any unnecessary words coming out, then I turned to him.

"Pearl must agree with you." I rolled my eyes at him.

I know I've said I feel nothing but neutrality towards Killua but I don't know why his simple everyday appearance pushes me off the edge. The pitch of his voice, the way he talks, and the slight smirk he pulls off annoys me. Even his small gestures and movements can ruin my day. What the hell is wrong with me? Honestly speaking, I have nothing against him. He didn't do anything wrong, except maybe he makes me go crazy with familiarity every time I see him. At the very sight of him, my brain would go "Oi! That's him!" "Yes! Yes! It's finally him!" "You found him at last! "Isn't he cute?" and all those thoughts any normal teenage girl would think of a boy. Then my mind gets filled with "Where have I seen him before?" and the like and proceeds to assail me with ideas of possible circumstances where we could have actually met in the past. On the bright side, avoiding him leaves me no problems. So that's why I always want to go away from his presence as fast as I can.

"I know she does." He said without demur. I stopped glaring at him and stared out the window once again. The media still hasn't given up on dishing out juicy information about what happened here but the number of people has lessened. Alluka and the others will be able to come back now.

Then my phone vibrated. I took it out and saw a worthless text message from the business partner again. I deleted it. Then I checked out all the messages that I've ignored earlier. One was from Pearl, stating that they'll be out longer. The others are from the business partner again. Unconsciously, I glanced at Killua.

I see. _Press it_.

"You two should really date after knowing that I'm not her boyfriend and all." My tongue was somewhat filled with a bitter taste. "You two get along pretty well, actually." I spoke while staring at the screen.

"You really won't stop yakking about her until I admit I'm her business partner, huh?" He said with an obscure grin.

"Apparently so." I said with a straight face, fighting back this bitter taste that's slowly spreading to my whole mouth.

He tapped on the wall beside him and was quiet for a while.

"You never believed what I said to you before?"

"No." I swallowed a couple of times and the taste disappeared.

"Well that info also doesn't come for free." His voice was irritatingly captivating.

"You're freakin' serious?" I turned to him, examining his face.

Killua smiled wickedly.

"What do you propose?" I exhaled sharply, taking note of what he means by that face. Then I thought of the plausible ends this conversation might lead to.

"Buy Little Secret for me." He walks away from me. I narrowed my eyes at the building he pointed earlier.

"The whole company?" I muttered.

"Yup!" He returned with a small square of chocolate.

I stared at him long and hard, my eyes trying to put holes in his own. He didn't care and didn't even dare to erase that smile off his face.

"I can't do that." Because it's too expensive and I believe with all the money your family has, you can own that in a whim. My participation would be considered ill-advised, needless and completely unimportant.

"It's okay. A whole truck load of Kokorobokun then. That's easier and wouldn't cost you too much."

"How charming. Your concern for my financial life delights me. Pearl ought to be proud of you."

"You kept mentioning Pearl. Haven't you noticed that? I'm starting to have doubts about this not-her-boyfriend thing you said earlier."

I pressed my fingers. Of course I noticed. Pearl's the only distraction I could think of to prevent myself from blabbering about my past and where he fits in there. I then placed my left arm on the window frame and fixed my glasses using the free hand.

"I don't tell the truth often. But you got to hold on tightly on that one." I said with no emotion.

"Ha! Knew it," He smiled. "Any other things you might want to exchange for the info? I can't thing of anything."

"What 'things?'"

"Things like huge amounts of chocolates. Or any type of candy," He took out a piece of bubblegum. "So?"

My eyes traveled around the area. I looked around, shooting glances at anywhere. Anywhere but his direction. I couldn't think of anything to offer.

He nudged me. "I thought you weren't desperate?"

I wasn't. But I want to end the mystery of Pearl's business partner. At the same time, I want to go, escape. Leave everything as it is. I don't care. Lest I want to go mad.

I placed a hand on my mouth, thinking. Then I stared down at my fingers.

"Thumb wrestling?" It doesn't meet his conditions but whatever. It's the easiest game I can think of.

"Pfft. How immature."

"If I remember correctly, you were yelling at the TV for a silly video game."

"'Kay, fine." He outstretched a hand. "But if I win, you have to answer my questions truthfully."

"But how would you know I'm lying?"

"I have my ways." I flinched.

"Deal." I joined hands with him, not truly trusting what he means by that. "And if I win?"

"I'll tell you what you want to know. Maximum of ten questions."

"And how do I confirm that what you speak of is the truth."

"When I can't look at you in the eye." He sounded so sanguine that I began to doubt if it's the truth or not. I mean, why would he reveal that to me?

"Fair enough." I said, almost losing the low voice.

"Game on."

:::::::::::::::::::

"So why are you living here?" I asked, feeling satisfied. We're now sitting at the sofa outside the office because the janitors need to finish cleaning up. Killua is sitting right across me.

He crossed his arms and reluctantly looked at me. "What I told you before is the truth."

"Alluka once mentioned to me that you moved to the hotel because you were running away from somebody." I said with ease, anticipating uncalled for questions.

"What?!" Killua sounded alarmed. He doesn't trust me at all.

"What's the real reason?" I asked softly.

"It's the truth. But she did add that it'll be safer." His fingers played with a candy wrapper.

"Do you hate your family?" I sipped from my cup then placed it on the table. Mel had brought us tea.

"Maybe. Because they want to decide my future without my consent; they said that I'll be the stupid heir, but I don't want to." He looked down. I'm surprised he automatically says that without the need of another question.

"What made you want to stop being an assassin?" Curiosity overtook me. Then I recalled the conversation he had with Pearl about her wanting him to kill somebody.

35 seconds passed slowly.

"...I just got tired of killing." He said with loath.

"No one influenced you to stop?" Not even your friends?

"...No..." I took off my glasses and wiped them clean. Speaking of which...

"Where are your friends?"

He gave me a strange look. I blinked. Then Killua looked up. From where I sat, I only saw his sclera. It looked like he was carefully losing his soul, or is submitting into insanity. Or just staring at the ceiling. What's so fascinating up there? Killua the great conundrum.

"Leorio is still in med school, finishing his studies. Gon's in an expedition with Kite's gang and his father in the Dark Continent. Kurapika is in who knows where. The last time we met up—the four of us—was at the restaurant. Your sister and Pearl was there." He paused to catch his breath but for the next part, he looked... Sad?

"The meeting at the park is the last time I saw their faces. Gon's to depart the following day. Leorio's going back to school. Kurapika isn't there, just so you know." He added.

"When did you and Pearl first met?"

"About eight years ago. It was raining heavily that day."

_Where have I seen you before?_

Rain.

My head started to hurt. I took my cup again and drank all the tea. Then I refilled it. Afterwards, I looked at Killua somberly.

"What do you do here?"

Killua's lower lip twitched then he seemed to stiffen.

"I don't work here. Bisky was the one who offered me a job to work under Little Secret and it's owned by the company owner's sister, Daphne. And FYI, Bisky is Tiara's partner in the jewelry business."

"Then why are you here?"

"Representative from L.S." He glanced at me. "Tiara's is sporting edible gold mixed with chocolate. I'm supposed to help handle those things and et cetera."

_Where have I seen you before?_

"Are you the business partner?"

"For the last time, no." And he moved to a more relaxed position. "That's the tenth. Round two?"

This time, I initiated and moved near Killua. I extended my hand in front of him. I was feeling confident because of my previous victory. "Sure." I sneered.

We played again and I lost. I have to be careful. Once he starts asking about my family, I have to lie perfectly or else, I'm doomed.

"So Roy, what is your full name?" He asked while chewing gum. I had returned to my former location. I held my cup of tea loosely but maintained a sturdy grip on the handle. I stared at the tea, deep in thought.

Lie.

Then I looked up and said, "Roy Minase." I told him my old fake last name. I used that back when I was still working as a spy for the Prinamon company. While I was working there for two months, I said that so much that I was nearly able to fool even myself.

"The real one?" But Killua isn't as dumb and thick as me.

"Yoshikuni." I sipped from my cup while avoiding his gaze.

_Where have I seen you before?_

"How did you meet Pearl?" He asked in a perfunctory manner.

"You were as curious as me after all."

He didn't reply. I coughed. Wavering away from the subject is ineffective. I have to lie.

"Pearl is my stepsister. I knew her since I was ten." But lying is also ineffective. I spoke the truth.

"I wasn't asking for that." He stands up and walks in front of me, looking all domineering. "I'm asking _how_."

The hand I used to hold the cup quivered. "I met her at a bookstore and followed her around."

He stifled a laugh. My turn to look down. Killua took his cup of tea and sat at the other end of the sofa I'm sitting on.

"I'm not really as curious as you." He said after he sipped from his cup and put it down. He chewed on his gum for a bit before spitting it out and throwing it away. I watched him silently. "But..."

Here it goes. My worst nightmare.

I stood up before he got the chance to ask me the question and walked towards the elevator. "I'll go fetch them. They've consumed enough time." I'm going to lose it if I don't leave.

"Hey, wait!" I glanced behind me and saw Killua sitting down calmly, his tone betraying him.

"I have a question." I looked all around before facing him. I then pressed a button and waited for the elevator.

"What?" I said between gritted teeth. I forced myself to stop talking before I blurt out irrelevant things.

"Who's Ruyoki?"

I stopped breathing. And my eyesight declined. Before me was a series of warped images, simple questions turned into complex ones. The reality before me is ripping into shreds and falling into the unforgiving abyss. I'm going to lose this beautiful, easy in a way job. The pay I've awaited is on fire. He's seeing right through me. I have to do it.

Lie.

"My twin sister." I inhaled sharply and coughed. My voice was slowly returning to the way it was.

"Oh really?" I squinted my eyes several times. _Relax._ Then Killua poked me from behind.

"Tell me the truth Roy." Shit.

"I wasn't lying!" I protested and turned to face him. He was smirking.

"Your voice breaks when you lie." I tried to hide the shock from my face. I can't believe he realized that. I knew I can't lie perfectly using this voice but I'm too stubborn to stop. Stupidest decision ever. Shit. Shit. Shit.

_Where have I seen you before?_

I walked away nonchalantly and said with certitude, "She is my twin."

"That's so unfair. I told you everything you want to know honestly but you won't." I shot a glance at him and saw him clasp his hands together at the back of his head.

"Everyone in this world's unfair. What, you're expecting me to be one of a kind?" Saying that was the same as admitting I lied. I slowly touched my throat then searched for him through my limited vision. He was already standing right beside me, again.

I dug into my pocket and checked if the recorder is still on. And it is. Then I walked to the elevator again the moment it opened. Killua walked faster than me and closed the elevator.

"Answer."

I glared at him like a spoiled child, then secluded myself at a corner near the sofa. "I already told you." My voice was lower than usual.

Why am I acting like this?

I sat down and closed eyes for a second. When I opened them, Killua's standing right in front of me, folded arms, right foot tapping on the floor impatiently.

I stood up, irritated. I cast my gaze heavenward then I turned my attention at him. This is the perfect moment to escape.

To my surprise, he leaned closer to me, invading my personal space. I always had a thing when it comes to this. I glared at him with the intent to kill, wanting to scare him away.

It was a futile effort. He leaned even closer, his arms still folded. It was like he's observing me, seeking every nook and cranny of my face. I gulped. I'm cornered yet again. How many times must this happen in one day?!

It was bad when Pearl does this to me, but it was worse if it's Killua. A sudden surge of heat spread to my face. I found myself desperately stroking the wall behind me. I'm trying to find something soft, something hollow. Some spot where cement had failed to fill. Something that would disintegrate with one heavy blow. Something to escape to. _Something!_

Maybe he had already doubted my gender that's why he dared to do this. Why do I have to impulsively say that sentence?! If I had known beforehand that he would use anything against me, I shouldn't have given myself away. I made a lot of bad decisions, but this is the worst. Cruddy spy.

I sighed. No matter how much I wanted to pretend, someone's bound to find out. No, I can do this. If I were a real boy, what would I do? _Punch him?_ Yes!

Fat chance. My movements are constricted. My body's withdrawing. Femininity took over. I wish I'd never retreated to this corner. I wish everything would just deteriorate. I wish _I_ would deteriorate. Evaporate. Vanish. Kaput. Blank. And like my life's one big joke, I blushed and felt wobbly. Stupid girl hormones. I can't even manage to appear indifferent.

_Where have I seen you before?_

Then he leaned closer. The air around us is getting deprived of oxygen at such a rapid pace. I'm suffocating. But why is he still breathing normally? Wait, _why_ do I even know that?

I locked eyes with him, hoping to get a scrap of courage from the aura he's emitting.

"So?" He asked in a clear and crisp voice. My chest started to become heavy, maybe weighing about two tons. And then there's this pounding. I think my heart wants to punch him too.

I looked away but he leaned even more. If he's trying to intimidate me, it's working. Perfectly.

I may be an inch or two smaller than him but I'm feeling like I've shrunk, and we look like David and Goliath.

I pounded lightly on the wall. Somehow, my body took form and became solid again.

"Uh hey. Stop." Using some of my newfound strength, I uttered something barely clear and understandable. Progress.

"Who is Ruyoki?"

"Dude, move! Your sister might be abducted already!"

"You're kidding me."

"I'm not.." I trailed off, hyperventilating.

My phone vibrated. I pushed him away and answered it.

"Hello?!" I yelled angrily, but honestly I was grateful for having this random somebody save my life.

"Look outside." The voice sounded grim. I walked towards the window confused until I saw a man in a black suit holding Alluka's shoes.

* * *

...AC is captured by the mafia...

END OF REPORT.

* * *

**A/N: **THANK YOU FOR READING.

The Apocalypse was fake and Christmas is over so, belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sorry for the delay. orz

Also, I just noticed Killua cried a lot. Like three times maybe.

By the way, before you go dear (silent) reader, would you mind leaving a review?


	11. Back And Forth

Inspiration: Anybody There by The Script _My head is saying "no" but my heart keeps giving in. So hard to let it go when it's there, under my skin._

*coughs* Hello to Naiomi Campo and to her sister. Thank you for reading this story even if uh, never mind lol. (But Y U NO REVIEW? ლ(ಠ益ಠლ))  
Readers, followers, reviewers of the last chapter, and Aimee Sani, I salute you. (`▽´)ゞ

**DISCLAIMER: AS MUCH AS I HATE TO SAY IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, I DON'T OWN HUNTER X HUNTER. OCs ARE MINE. PLOT IS MINE.**

**OOC WARNING.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Back And Forth**

"Report number one done." I placed a big brown envelope on top of a white table.

I returned to the Zoldyck estate alone. It's quiet here because almost all of the family members are missing, probably busy. Today must be one of those times of the year, huh? Well, aside from their absence, which was luckily something new compared to Kukuroo mountain's stale picture, the atmosphere in here is also different today. I think it got to a whole new level of creepy. Creepy to the point that every single ounce of life seemed to have been sucked out of the place. Yeah, lifeless.

The whole area around Kukuroo Mountain flaunted this new face very gaudily. You can feel its intensity even if you still have to walk about five miles before reaching the place. I know I've not been able to visit this place during the past weeks but it never looked so dull and lifeless. Sure, it can be dark, eerie, gloomy, frightening, even beautiful, but not lifeless. Just one glimpse of their gardens and you'll know they're just overflowing with vigor but today, they are just simply bizarrely lifeless. It's really strange and quite unsettling. But the latter part is probably just me.

There have been a ton of problems weighing my shoulders recently that it takes effort to smile. And somehow, this current disposition of mine matches the mood of the murky mansion.

"I see. Any additional info?" Kikyo's voice tore me away from my reverie. I saw her open the envelope like it was fragile and breakable. Then her fingertips skimmed through the photos and files I compiled inside. She constantly smiled while looking at the pictures then appeared serious while reading a part of my report. I stared down politely. It took me four minutes to get the strength to speak about something that's bothering me this past ten hours.

"Hm?" She prompted. I looked up.

"Alluka Zoldyck has been kidnapped." Despite how hard it seemed for me to spit it out, I said it like it meant nothing.

I caught Kikyo's attention. The butlers inside this room felt the weight of what I said and held unto their breath. The air surrounding us all now felt thick and heavy and impossible to disrupt.

"Oh." She gave me a quick glance then continued to read some of the contents of my report. "You've put that in here." She pointed at the paper. I raised an eyebrow.

"Anything more interesting than that?" Seriously? This woman doesn't care about what happens to Alluka?

I looked at the floor again and swallowed. I can't take any shit from this. My throat seems to dry up whenever I'm dealing with her.

"No."

"Well then, if you don't mind, explain to me the reason behind your current appearance Ruyoki." Kikyo's tone is savory sweet and rather annoying.

I stared into her eyes, er, electrical visor and told her my plan, my ideas, guesses and what I did to look like a guy without the need of cosmetic surgery. I think half of them are lies just to spice up the story.

"Very well." She muttered insipidly, obviously bored of my long rambling. I let out a quick sigh of relief and thought of Alluka again.

Kikyo then stood up. "Tsubone, the pay?"

"Yes Madame." Tsubone advanced and gave me a glossy black envelope.

"Two million Jennies." She stated flatly. I stared at the envelope then took it.

"Pardon me but, what shall I do about Alluka Zoldyck's kidnapping?" I brought up the subject again while my finger stroked the smooth surface of the envelope.

"Nothing." I looked up. Nothing?

"Are you sure Kikyo-san?"

"Yes. The one most important is the heir." Then Kikyo gasped, "He's not hurt is he?"

"No." I replied emotionlessly, hiding the irk in my tone.

She smiled. "Of course, no one would be able to destroy my dear little Killu~!" It was like she was trying to reassure herself. So no one cares about Alluka now?

"Though he was emotionally unstable..." Her voice trailed off, but she gasped yet again seconds before I got the chance to speak. "For all we know, he might be suffering from a fatal psychological attack on this very minute." She put a hand on her mouth and acted worried to death.

I stared at her expectantly but it still took me by surprise when she shrieked "Go, go!" and raced to my direction. Then she pushed me towards the door. I tried to stop her from making me leave but then, I was distracted by my feet gliding on the floor. I never realized that the floor in this room was so slippery and smooth until now. I can even see my own reflection..

Snap out of it!

"Wait, about Alluka—" I tried again, but we already reached the exit.

"Goodbye! Escort her outside, Gotoh." And, I'm back to the bumpy lifeless floor of the corridor. Kikyo waved a hand at me and closed the metal door. I turned around, irritated and saw Gotoh already before me. But it's not really Gotoh yet he looks a lot like him. Kirikos are so damn confusing.

"It's okay if I call you Gotoh, right?" I asked while trying to hide my real mood. He nodded at me solemnly.

"Ah, I feel like shit." I slurred through the words. Flickering oil lamps passed by us. They pierced through my eyes somewhat accusingly.

"Why is that so?" he asked. I wasn't expecting a reply, but he sounded truly curious.

I forced out a cheerful tone and unwillingly said, "I was kidding. Is it even possible to feel like shit? Literally, I mean." I'm running out of sense.

He let out a low laugh. I smiled back nervously. I'm not used to hearing him do this.

Silence followed afterwards. I glanced at the walls and the floor. Still the same rocks and stuff. Kind of reminds me about the place I used to live in. The only difference is that it doesn't reek in here, and the torture chambers are well-hidden.

I sighed. I still feel bad I wasn't able to get help. Then I recalled the purpose of me stating about Alluka's kidnapping. In some part of my brain, I've grown fond of that kid. I'm about to rescue someone again. It's like the jewelry shop shooting all over again. But this time, because it involves at least one of the Zoldycks, i somewhat expected that his family will want to help me rescue him out of it. Dumbest assumption ever. Huh, what did I expect? The Zoldycks lending me a hand in a job they entrusted to me because they apparently can't handle themselves?

That was really uncharacteristic of them back there. I mean, why would they even choose me? They're plenty of professional spies out there. Many are amazingly talented compared to this piece of crap that is me. And wow, the biggest surprise of all was they actually asked someone to deal with it. To be precise, someone. Else. Other. Than. Themselves. Seriously, even though they're excellent in practically everything they deemed necessary for surviving, they refuse to do deal with their own family problems and shoved it to someone else's ass instead. They could have easily assigned this to someone within the family circle instead. He would have accomplished this task by now because one of their own is watching the targets directly. He can even make his own decision that he deemed best about the situation on the spot but no, they asked for help!

I can't believe it.

Get this, the great Zoldycks, asking for help! Yeah _the_ Zoldycks. You think they can handle minuscule kid problems like that, them being experts at everything at all. Compared to the problems they deal because of the stubborn targets they get assigned to, this will be a piece of cake. Well, _you think_.

If I really did knew the hidden trash behind the dainty "Watch the heir and the kid" statement, I'd given them a giant hell-bending no. I would skip away happily and move on to accept an easier job. I could continue training to become a better spy. Or I can be a normal teenager for once if I wanted to.

If only I could just quit it altogether. But I couldn't. I have to finish the job first. Damn it. This could even take forever!

But this is the present. And what sucks the most is that they're not willing to give support. But I think that's just Kikyo's way of thinking. I'm sure the others are better. Not.

"Ruyoki-san?" Gotoh called out to me. I was so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed I already stopped walking. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." I muttered after taking a step forward. He also stopped walking to wait for me to join him. And after I did, we continued our way to the exit.

I dismissed my rants earlier with a look at the ceiling. It's pointless to rant. What's done is done. That's the mature way to think about it, right?

I examined the hallways and the things we passed by as we walked. The mansion is still the same as always.

The room where Kikyo was in earlier is somewhere deep in the mansion, probably at the innermost part. It'll take about ten minutes to get out of here. Plus three minutes because I wasted them while lost in my thoughts.

We turned left in an intercession. I was still trying to find my usual composure when suddenly, something weighing no less than 500 pounds collided with my shoulder.

I bumped my arm against the wall hard that it almost caused serious damage. I glanced behind me virulently.

"What the—Hey!" I hissed.

"Watch where you're going dumbass!" He shouted back.

I stared at the passerby's back for a while. Based on his clothes, I bet he's a butler. What happened to the Zoldyck's high standards? The new servants here suck.

After looking briefly at Gotoh—who was quite surprised, I rushed towards the man. Upon closer inspection, he looks fat and has a lot of curves.

"What the hell dude? Doesn't the word 'excuse' exist in your dictionary?" The man stopped walking. My gaze on him intensified. I planned on reporting him to the Zoldycks knowing what a tattle tale I was.

Then the man very slowly—shall we say, "dramatically"—shifted his gaze on me and his face came into full view. I shiver went up my spine and my mouth slightly opened.

It's Milluki. Shit.

"Who _are_ you? Mama!" he yelled. "We got intruders!" Then his eyes traveled to Gotoh. "Why are you just standing there? Kill this bastard NOW!"

I got an idea. Why don't _you_ kill me? You're an assassin!

I rolled my eyes at the floor and made an awkward smile. Then I bowed slightly.

"I'm very sorry!" I chattered, "I'm—"

"Shut up!" he growled. The fingers I tried so hard to relax twitched.

"Mama!" he yelled louder. "Is breakfast ready yet?" Then just like that, he walked away from me and moved on with life. But granting the memory that he has, he somewhat remembered me and looked at Gotoh.

"Gotoh, please, get rid of him." His barely distinguishable eyes narrowed at me, looking so disgusted. Kikyo would've done the same thing to me if she wasn't trying to act hospitable and benevolent. Everyone knew she's just faking it anyway.

"Milluki-sama, this is Ruyoki-san." Gotoh spoke, taking full control. I bowed again.

"Oh?" He raised a bag of junk food to his chest.

He walked near me again after opening the bag. "Really?" Bits and pieces of the almost munched up potato chips flew around. I took a step backward to avoid it.

"Why'd you look like that?"

I cleared my throat. "This is a disguise."

"That's obvious. You don't normally look like that." He took a handful of chips and filled them into his mouth.

I gave him a crooked smile.

"My assignment seemed to call for it."

"Ah, I remember. The watching over job again." He nodded tediously.

Alluka and Pearl's situation flashed in my mind again. Then Pearl liking Milluki clogged up my head.

"Milluki-san?" I almost choked. "Have you worked with someone before?"

"Hmmm..." He dug his hand in the bag. "Recently, a lady." He looked at me suspiciously. I stared back at him with a blank face.

Then he walked away after glancing at me once more. I looked at Gotoh and gestured at him to wait for me. I think I'll stick with Milluki for a moment longer. I got the chills again.

"May I ask, is the 'lady' named Pearl?" I walked beside him. Surprisingly, we both fit.

"Who's she?"

Ouch. I feel kinda bad for Pearl. She's pining over a man who doesn't even know her.

"The one you met in one dating site?" Snicker, snicker. Still can't believe it really.

"You mean oceanlitdinner5176? Then yes. She's smart and considerate."

Pfft. I have... to hold in... laughter. I find this funny for some reason. But holding it all in was the worst of ideas. You get stomachaches and your lungs fail to function. Then your eyes start to water. I even have lean on the wall on my left for support. Luckily, Milluki's back is turned so I don't have to worry about getting caught that much.

But then I remembered that Gotoh's just a few meter away from us. And he's watching me look ridiculous, suddenly submitting myself to a wall and all.

After gasping for air for three seconds, I stood up straight and another priority popped into my head.

"Uhmm... Are you her business partner?"

"Eh no. I'm free as heck. Now shoo, I'm going off to eat." You just freakin' ate.

"But I need to talk about to you about Pearl. She's in to you."

"Heh, I know." He smiled heartily, brimming with pride. "Now go home." He walked away again.

"Wai—" I wanted to run after him.

"Ruyoki-san?" Gotoh called out for the second time. I paused.

"Yeah, I should go." I knew what he meant. I guess practically everyone here wants my presence erased already. It'd be an unnatural thing if Gotoh is the only one who doesn't.

He nodded at me then started walking again. I followed him obediently.

The whole way towards the exit was filled with silence, but my thoughts were rampaging, screaming with things and ideas on what to do next.

To better understand the situation, I have to analyze what happened yesterday.

So after the seeing some guy hold Alluka's shoes, my phone slipped out of my hand as if some ninja's trying to steal it away. Then I looked silly as I tried to retrieve it, flailing my arms around just to dry and get it. No use, it still fell on the ground. Killua laughed behind me, then came near me. I stepped back just before he could stand beside me, allowing a considerable distance between us. He said I looked like I just saw a ghost. Agreeing to what he stated, I pointed outside. He saw the man entering a limo, his hand waving back at us with the shoes tucked between his fingers.

Then everything changed entirely. His aura, the room, the sun, the people down below. The world looked warped and nature was turning black and white. Breathing seemed fatal. Moving was illegal. My vision became pixelated, blurry then no color at all. Monochrome. Then a black hole formed, sucking everything with it, leaving dark feelings anew. He was standing in the middle.

No, those didn't really happen. I was just scared. I was afraid. Of him.

I just stood there, watching him. Observing how his face turn to rage, anger, and any other emotion that can fit the situation. I couldn't say a thing. I understand what he feels. Alluka is everything to him. That got me thinking, what would happen when it's time for him to say good bye?

And just when I found the will to move near him to I don't know, comfort him maybe, Killua jumped out of the window again. I wanted to run after him but I can't. Because basically, jumping from the tenth floor of a building is suicide. Being a Zoldyck as he is, Killua survived it. If I can ever dream of catching up to him, I'll just have to dash to the stairs. And I did. I was panting the moment I got on the ground floor. Then I wondered why the hell didn't I just use the elevator instead. Then, defying my worn-out body's plea, I began to run.

I almost tripped after reaching thirteen minutes of continuous dodging and running at the same time. So I ended up taking a taxi. I reached the airport in no time at all; the traffic was light. I stepped out of the vehicle with regained energy. Then I immediately rushed inside only to see Killua, looking miserable again. When I asked him what happened—which was hard, because I had to maintain my male voice despite worries—he said they booked every "goddamn" airship going to York New City. And no, he wasn't exaggerating. They really did book every seat in every airship available. Assuming that they're twenty airships going to York New today, well, they bought it all. It was unbelievable. Aren't those things supposed to be expensive?

We've reached the exit. Gotoh tapped me on the shoulder because I was spacing out again. When I noticed where we are, I said goodbye to Gotoh then he opened the door.

It's raining.

"Damn, I forgot my umbrella," I said while clutching the black envelope tightly. I stared emptily outside.

"Would you like to borrow this?" Gotoh offered. He showed me a black foldable umbrella.

"No, thank you. I can manage." I waved bye at him again then faced the rain. Then I took a step forward and soon enough, I'm wet all over. As if this day can't get any worse. But I'm thanful for once that my hair isn't a bother. The only problem was my footwear. Sandals.

After almost sliding down here and there, I began walking at a steady pace, finally being capable of carefully avoiding the mud lying around.

I reached the Gates finally. I gave Mike a quick look then focused on my next destination. The rain allowed so much time for thought but I don't know what to think about anymore. I opened it then proceeded outside, feeling really vacant.

I returned to the hotel by foot. Dripping wet. Same as before.

When I entered, I didn't pay any attention to the stares given to me. I didn't bother acknowledging the existence of the puddles of water I left behind as I walk. I'm wearing light clothes and it didn't weigh me down quite as much as it did before. I didn't find satisfaction to the horrified looks given by the other guests.

I walked towards the stairs and headed to the fourth floor from there. I don't want anyone to look at me right now.

When I reached the floor, I was neither tired nor alright. It was like I have no soul. I can't feel anything proper.

I took out my room key from my left pocket. Another one came out. I forgot that Alluka left the key of their room to me. So I headed towards their floor first using the elevator. I stepped out reluctantly, thinking that this is a bad idea. Who am I going to give it to anyway? Killua's running after the guys by now. There's only a .50% chance that he's still here. And I'm still wet. Why didn't I change first?!

I turned around and faced the elevator again. I was about to press the down button until I felt a slight shift in the air, particularly to my right.

I held the keys tightly, expecting something unusual, then I peeked to my right. I saw Killua sitting on the floor in a squatting position.

"What are you doing here?" The words came out fluidly. Then I looked down at my clothes to see if I can still pass as a boy.

He glanced up. "In case you've forgotten, they fucking booked _every_ airship going to York New to the last drop. Luckily, I managed to snag some tickets."

"But why are you here?"

A second pause.

"You said you're going with me."

Nananananananannanananananna na. I did? He heard that?!

"What time's the flight?"

"In thirty minutes or so." He's still not facing me. "Hurry up or I'm going to regret waiting for you." He handed me my ticket.

"Whoever said you should wait for me in the first place?" I mumbled loud enough so he can hear, but he didn't react and just casually entered his room.

I examined the ticket a while longer then I knocked on his door.

"I'll go there first."

Then I went back to my room as fast as I could, showered and got the things I'll need with this trip all bundled up in a backpack.

:::::::::::::::::::

"I'm dreaming, right?" But of course, Killua has arrived before me, and he's there waiting for me even if I didn't ask him to. I'm absolutely positive that I was the first one to leave the hotel but what do you know, before I set up that spy cam, Killua might have fled already. That makes me wonder, if he's such a speed demon, how did he lose to me in the first round of thumb wrestling yesterday? Was it on purpose?

"Hey. Quit stopping at random times. Let's move." He then started walking towards the airship.

I clutched at my backpack and watched him walk away. After a few seconds of daydreaming, I followed after him.

While on the way to board, I kept on following him but certain things kept clouding my head, causing me stop once in a while. He would then glance sharply at me and I'd immediately go back to Earth.

And then, we're almost about to enter the airship. Killua was already going up while I stopped indefinitely because my phone vibrated. It's another message from the business partner.

"Geez." Killua rolled his eyes at me. Then he came down from the airship and dragged me up by holding my hand. Holding my hand! AHH!

Honestly he held my wrist, but still! I'm not as stable as I was before. This little acts can push me off to the brink now. And guess whose fault it is.

I forced him to let go after I'm inside. He complied peacefully but this time, he dragged me through the sleeve of my jacket.

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to remove his hand.

"To somewhere you can't bother the other passengers."

"Am _I_ bothering them?"

"Yup. You kept stopping and the people are getting irritated. Are you that dense?"

I wonder what would happen if I threw my backpack at him then jumped off the window. Instant kill, for sure.

"Huh." I smiled, mocking myself.

And unexpectedly, he smiled back?

I looked away, flushed. I was finally able to make him let go. And he still continued to walk.

Killua, what have you done? The freakin' thing you did ten hours earlier scared the shit out of me. I can't even stay still for two minutes without wincing over and over again about the fact that I blushed in front of you. Why did you really do that, huh? I have never made myself so vulnerable so easily but you surprisingly did, and effortlessly crack the shell no less. What's your secret? Love potion? Attractive pheromones? Killer smile?

HECK NO.

I've fought worse things than those fakes. And there's no way in hell I'll be likely to fall under the magical spell of those objects.

So what is it? _It's natural charm._ Shiiiiiiiiiiit.

I was wrong when I said I'm immune to this, but let's face it, I'm a girl! But I swear in heaven's name, if I fall for this rude egoistic bastard, I'd kill myself first.

"You're standing so far away from me. Do I smell or something?" He noticed I wasn't following him.

When I raised my head up, I saw that I was like at the other end of the airship.

"No, I have issues." I muttered. This must be the point where I stopped walking.

"Glad you realized." He said emotionlessly. His gaze was staring hard at the view outside. He's probably planning things on how to attack those guys and get Alluka back.

And in the meantime I should rescue Pearl. I have to talk to him about this. It's possible that those two are located in different areas. I guess it's safe to say that I may not be going the same way he is. But one part of my mind tells me I'm wrong. They're both there. Join Killua. The other's not so optimistic.

My eyes were fixed on the floor as I shuffled towards where he stood.

I'm now standing beside him. This is awkward. I looked at him. He didn't look at me back.

Speak.

Say something.

Damn he's intimidating.

Then I moved away, and saw that I made a decent enough distance for conversation. Good, continue.

While I'm in the middle of my ordeal, Killua stared at me. This time, girlishness didn't win. Hooray.

"What?" I asked.

He didn't respond and just looked away. I raised an eyebrow at him then my phone vibrated. I reach into my pocket and saw a text message from the business partner, I mean, Karen. When I was about to pass it off as junk, another message came in. And it's not from him.

"Want to see them again? Call." It was from Pearl's number.

I staggered to get closer to Killua, somewhat in shock even if I was expecting this.

"Okay, you really do look seriously stupid. What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, just random messages from the kidnappers and stuff."

"What?!" I gave him my phone and he took it without hesitation. Then I leaned on the wall replaying the whole scenario of the kidnapping in my head. After a few minutes, he gave it back without emitting any sound.

What should I do next?

He didn't offer any advice, so I decided not to call. But what if they're lives are at stake here?

I placed my phone back inside my pocket, thinking of calling later. I was about to leave my hand in there for a while until I felt another something occupying space. Specifically, paper.

I took it out then took several steps away from him. Another threat. Damn.

Afterwards, I unfolded it, my fingers nervously shaking. It said:

"Hinder Killua at all costs - Z"

And it was all written in magnificent red ink.

* * *

**A/N:** I kill. Characters. When I feel. Like it. The periods made. You stop. Reading constantly. LOL. Tried to troll, fails. T_T  
Thanks for reading! How was the chapter? The "nananananana" was deliberate. And I'm not responsible for it. - Lie.  
Please review and/or follow! ^^


	12. Conflict

Inspiration: How To Save A Life by The Fray _Where'd I go wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness._

I apologize for the delay! And uh, hello and thanks to a human girl, Ilyanna Campo, Patrisha Galarion and her friend Pauline!

Thanks also to everyone who reviewed and read. Thank you for keeping up with me bros! orz You guys will always hold a special place in my heart. ;∇;  
And also, this story is not ending anytime soon. Sorry. orz

**DISCLAIMER: NEITHER OF US OWN HUNTER X HUNTER.**

**VULGAR LANGUAGE WARNING.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Conflict**

I crumpled the paper and pushed it inside my left pocket. Almost immediately, I noticed the sound of heavy raindrops falling outside. The steady rhythm of the rain teamed up with the silence, and left no space for talk.

Hinder Killua?

What the hell are they thinking?

So they didn't want me to do anything about Alluka's kidnapping, yet they want me to use it as a testing ground for Killua's determination. Or simply want Alluka to die. Makes sense.

I took out my jacket from my bag and put it on. The chilliness can also be felt within these walls so I decided to wear it. I folded my arms in front of me comfortably while thinking of the chances when the paper could've been slipped inside. More importantly, who could have done it? If it's Gotoh, I can't recall any moments when he'd stray away from the respectable distance he's keeping from me. If it's Milluki, then, when we bumped into each other? But if it's Kikyo, or any of the stealthy butlers inside the office, I can't say. There are many possibilities in there.

How about after I left the premises? The rain was falling relentlessly like it was now and the streets were crowded. I probably bumped into many people on the way back. And somehow or another, someone managed to sneak this into my pocket. Someone who I suspect is controlled or ordered whether forcibly or willingly by the Zoldycks.

I think I've heard a rumor about one of them having that kind of power—manipulating someone to do anything they wish. That's a pretty nice Nen ability they got there, but I wonder who he is. Maybe he can even be the one who slipped this inside, some time when I was too occupied with not getting too wet.

I put my hand back inside my pocket, playing around with the crumpled paper with my fingers. As I leaned against the wall, I thought that maybe I shouldn't worry about who's responsible for this but focus more at the task at hand. After all, I have to do this if I want to keep earning two million Jennies every month, and knowing how they carried out this message to me doesn't make a big difference.

Well, that's weird. Usually, I spend quite an amount of time thinking about whether I should execute a plan or not. But now, I'm just passing this off as a simple task in the job. An everyday obstacle to overcome. Not minding about the lives at stake. Just get the job done. I can't believe I can be this cold-hearted. Maybe I didn't have feelings of attachment to these siblings in the first place. Maybe I'm not as confused about the way I feel as I thought I am. Good, accomplishing this would be easy then. _Not._

Ugh, this will be hard I know. But since now my doubts and other concerns are cleared and well taken care off, all that's left is how I'm going to hinder him. How am I going to do this?

And then I just remembered. Pearl's kidnapped too. Damn. I totally forgot. Now how am I going to hinder him and save Pearl at the same time? Basically, hindering Killua means I'm disregarding Alluka's well-being or I'm hindering him to see how headstrong he is about saving Alluka. And if I'm to disregard even Alluka's life, ignoring Pearl's existence would be the same. Shit.

I shot a nervous glance at Killua while hoping he doesn't have mind reading powers. Thankfully, I saw that his attention is held by his cellphone. He looks intensely focused on it. He must be in touch with someone he can depend on. Or is he thinking of calling?

I took out my own cellphone and stared at the screen. If I'm going to hinder him, I also need to contact someone for help. Doing this alone and ever dreaming of accomplishing it would be impossible. Yeah, I can't do this without comrades. And considering that by "hinder," Kikyo_—_assuming she is indeed the one who gave this to me_—_probably meant the real deal throw-obstacles-at-ya not the way kids distract their parents while they're on their way to an important engagement. So yeah, asking help is definitely a-okay.

I browsed through my contacts and mostly found numbers of my old employers and some acquaintances I met while working. I wonder if these are useful. The others belonged to friends and family which are the minority, and are of no use. They don't have any idea what I do for a living other than believing my excuse of having a "passion" for traveling.

After listing the names of the ones dependable on my mind, I separated their numbers on a different section in my cellphone and prepared to ask for their help. I wrote what I'm going to say or send down and took a deep breath.

So, here comes the final question: text or call? Text, definitely text. Killua's just two meters away, idiot. There's a big chance he'll hear you, and that's basing on the terms how far a normal person can hear.

Talking to myself.

That reminds me, what if I don't call Pearl's number?

I texted ten people that are the most reliable and easiest to contact. Then I waited patiently for replies. If they wanted to discuss about the pay, I'm all ears.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then fifteen.

The airship is going to fly soon. Aren't we supposed to be going to our seats by now?

I looked at Killua and saw his eyes wandering outside. He's probably thinking of a plan to retrieve Alluka, and, if I'm lucky, Pearl. Too bad that needs to take a back seat first. I'm surely going to hinder him even if it's for only a day. Every hour counts, right?

I checked my cellphone again. No messages. While staring at my sent items, the situation suddenly became clearer to me. I'm waiting for nothing! There's no way they could reply to me or send me help immediately if I already need it in less than twenty-four hours! Some of the people I even messaged have gone overseas. I texted the ones that are easiest to contact. Yeah, right.

I bumped my head against the wall, reproaching myself for making such a dumb mistake. If I'm expecting a reply, or help, I should check again tomorrow afternoon. But it'd be late by then. I have to do this myself for now.

No wait. There's still someone I can depend on to set up traps for me. Karen. As much as I hate to admit it, he can help me.

I glanced at Killua again, and caught him also looking at me. I didn't feel tingly this time. My composure remained intact. And just as I was going to finally call the damn business partner, he moved.

"Let's go," he said with no sign of emotion.

He continued walking towards the left end and I followed him. We reached the seats in the first class and Killua immediately found the ones reserved for us. He sat down without sparing a look at his surroundings. I sat right across him, carefully inspecting the people sitting near us. Who knows, maybe a spy's among them.

Incidentally, we made eye contact while trying to sit comfortable and it made things a little awkward. I settled in a position where my face can nearly touch the windows, as if attracted by the raindrops outside. Meanwhile, Killua remained stoic. Time seemed to be standing still.

I took off my glasses then wiped them clean. Then I put them on again and faced Killua.

"What now?"

"Wait 'till we get to York New," he said, not looking at me. I raised an eyebrow unconsciously because I can't think of better ways to respond to that. So, okay, whatever you say. I glanced at my phone to check once more. Nothing.

"Killua." I mumbled.

"What?" he said, his voice holding no specific emotion.

"You're not planning to call?" I clutched at my phone.

"Call who?" He crossed his arms and stared at me speculatively.

"The kidnappers."

"Is that even important?"

"Well no, if we're planning to let your sister's life hang on a thread." I looked outside the window.

"No, it won't endanger Alluka's life a bit," he said, "And you're kidding right? The phone call thing was an obvious trap. They know what Alluka's capable of, and I know what they want to do with her. They won't harm her. You calling would just make things worse; we'll get tracked down for example." He looked outside and gave a glance at his phone. "And being tracked down isn't cool. Besides, we don't have to do that to know where they are. I can manage it myself."

So he does have his own connections on finding where they are.

"And Pearl?" I asked. He remained silent. I sighed wistfully.

Moving closer to the window, I took off my backpack and placed it on the empty seat beside me. I rested my head on my hand and waited for someone to reply. I looked at Killua and saw him still fixed on that position—crossed arms, eyes staring out in the open. Nobody could ever tell what must be going on in his head because he perfected wearing a blank expression, all emotions carefully contained within if he wanted to.

Feeling tired and impatient, I also looked outside. The scene was charming. Below lied a perfect view of a city full of life. It's like one of the photos taken by a professional photographer from above. There were no traces of storm clouds. Only a thin layer remained and they covered the vista. The result was heavenly, and the accompaniment of the stars added to this effect. I got to admit, the blurry various colors of the city lights were breathtaking. They were gentle and not piercing at all. I smiled a little. The outside was very calming and lively yet here, everything felt stodgy and tension was in the air.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was only eight in the evening. Seven hours to go.

I woke up and found myself resting against the window. My jacket now served as an inadequate blanket. I straightened and stretched out whilst looking at my phone. I saw four replies.

Shoot, Taru-san's requested payment is too high. I can't afford to hire him. And it's not like his work and equipment are top class. However, the other three were okay so I agreed to them and let them do what they want.

Not intending to do so, I bumped the back of my hand against the glass of the window while putting my phone inside my bag. It felt magnetic. The strength of the wind passing by the airship is evident. Maybe if I open the window, the breeze could blow my head off and I can escape from all these money troubles.

I reached for my backpack and took out my earphones. I glanced in front of me and I saw Killua taking a nap. Lucky for him, he got to relax a bit, which explains the somewhat serene ambiance at present. While plugging the earphones to my cellphone, I saw an airship speeding past ours and heading north-east. That was pretty normal I suppose, except that someone from the inside of the said airship shot a striking red laser beam at me. Yes, me. I'm not kidding.

"You got a red dot on your face, hun." the stewardess commented as she walked pass my seat.

My first impression was that it came from a sniper rifle so I immediately froze and got a mental block. After a few seconds, I still didn't move but now passed the laser off as nothing, until it slowly crept towards where Killua sat. He opened his eyes the moment the beam traveled to his cheek. I shifted my gaze outside, eyes wide open and anticipating a gunshot. Killua's guard shot up when I noticed him look at the airship through the corner of his eye. Then I made a quick glance at him and the bullet struck through the window.

I blinked for a moment and then saw Killua already sitting beside me, my bag sandwiched between his back and the seat. Then the image of the huge hole marked on the chair in front of me appeared.

The other passengers stared at us. Some of them looked more shocked, most especially the staff. It took them time to realize the situation. But what made them completely aware in an instant was another shot through same window. It was directed at Killua again, but the shooter missed him.

This made the people panic. Some screamed, some children cried.

The flight attendant from earlier and the other staff rushed to our side to check up on us. Her face looked slightly surprised when she saw Killua keeping his cool. He reassured them, and said "We're fine." in an easy-going manner. Meanwhile, I was speechless, immovable, no reaction. I was just sitting here, eyes roaming and hands gripping tightly onto my jacket. My face may show nothing but inside, I'm panicking, like I had no idea what's happening.

Then something glowed from inside the front pocket of my backpack. Fingers shivering, I pushed Killua aside—he allowed himself to be moved, thankfully—and took out my phone. It was a message from Clarence, my ex-boss. She texted me her trademark smiley face and that meant she agrees; she will help me. And that her help has already began. Now I got four people helping me. I've calmed down a bit.

Then another flight attendant came. She invited us to go to the other the seats. She apologized if the only ones available were in the economy class but Killua said it's fine and I agreed. He handed me my backpack with an unexplainable smirk on his face then stood up. Afterwards, she led us to the place. We followed her silently.

While walking, I heard another gunshot. It must be quite powerful because it shook the entire airship. I struggle to maintain my balance and clutched at a seat nearby. Killua stood still as his eyes remained fixedly forward. To my surprise another bullet crashed through the window in my far right. I crouched down and held onto my backpack. When I looked up, I saw him staring at the bullet buried deep into the wall in our far left. The people around us are already panicking and started to escape from our presence. Several people bumped into me and caused me to lose my glasses.

"Shit." Everything's a blur. And at the most crucial part of the story, too. How freakin' nice. I put on my backpack and started searching for my glasses despite the situation. Several people weren't so kind to me even though about three of them stepped on my hand and I didn't utter a thing. I still continued to look for my glasses however.

And, another gunshot. It was near to where I am. This time, I doubled the speed of finding for my glasses that I might've looked so desperate. Just when I almost felt it within my reach, someone put it on for me. And I came face to face with Killua.

"Move asshole!"

"What are you, king of the road?"

"Big jerk!"

"Stand up." He said, ignoring the remarks of the people complaining about me. His eyes were focusing on another point. I obeyed him and clutched at my bag and ran to where the other passengers are heading to. I held onto my glasses tightly this time.

"...Please return to your seats. We are about to make an emergency landing. Please return to your seats. We are about to make an emergency landing..." The pilot's voice resounded throughout the airship. I stopped abruptly then ran back to where we used to sit. Killua was way ahead of me and sat down first.

"Huh, what bad luck..." I commented while putting on my seat belt. Killua remained quiet. I glanced outside and saw the other airship vanishing into the distance. For once, I was able to breathe deeply. Then I received another text from Clarence. She wants to meet up with me. Sigh.

After several minutes, the airship landed on a gigantic piece of land. When the pilot gave us his go-signal, we made our way to the exit and safely stepped on the ground. All the other passengers aboard the airship with us look annoyed by the situation, but most felt relieved they're still alive. All came down looking like they won the lottery nonetheless.

I guess that's probably how much they value their life at that exact moment. I wonder how much this guy to my left value his? If by chance I was assigned to kill him—finally!—right here, right now, how would he react?

I brushed those concerns aside for a minute. I need to think about what I'm going to do next. Clarence wants to meet up with me and I think it's best if I should go.

From afar, there were lots of taxis waiting for us. One of the staff said that was all they can do to make things a little better. Killua immediately walked towards one, I followed him and we entered the taxi. Then the driver dropped us off at the airport. I paid him for the ride and then exited.

Once we're alone at the airport—in a sense, anyway—I cleared my throat and spoke, "Killua. I need to meet up with someone."

"Who?" he asked casually.

"My dad," I lied. My gaze did not waver from him though, and it implied the honesty in my statement. Seconds later, his phone rang and he moved away from me to answer it. He rejoined me after putting his phone away. "Who was that?" I asked then regretted it immediately.

"Some person pointlessly trying to threaten me." He glanced at his right. "And sure, see ya later." He waved at me then started walking away.

I waited about five minutes just to see where he's heading to. And when he crossed the street without even looking at the taxi waiting for him, I yelled, "Wait, you're just going to walk?"

"You have talent in pointing out obvious things Roy." He continued to walk away. Trap number one failure. I called Clarence and told her to immediately start the next one. Then I followed Killua within a safe distance and hid myself using Zetsu. Then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, so I stopped. I stared at his disappearing figure for a second more before I read the new text message. It was from Clarence. And she's inviting me to dinner. A party, rather. _What?_

I ignored the offer and resumed following Killua, hoping to see him dodge or get caught up with the traps. Wait, when did it ever come from me hindering him to hiring people to do it instead? After a few minutes of carefully following him, he suddenly started to run very fast. I know he must have known someone's following him all this time so he must've gotten annoyed. Still, I tried to keep up with him.

Then Killua turned sharply at a corner. I wasted no second in catching up to him but then I went to a halt. Coming quickly from the left side of the road was a car hurling towards his direction. Afterwards, various cars violently bumped into each other. The setting they tried to pull off must be an everyday car accident, but with cars in midair? How impractical. Too obvious.

I stopped gaping at the scene in front me as my cellphone started to ring. I took it from my pocket without paying much attention.

"Hello?" I said blankly.

"Ri-chan, ain't you gonna come to the gala? The other peeps you hired are here too, ya know. Doncha wanna discuss our pay and stuff with us?" Despite this style of talking whenever she's on the phone, Clarence has a heavily-accented low voice. Sometimes she sounds so foreign that I forget who I'm talking to. I never really gotten used to it.

"No, sorry. You have already stated everything your concerns in the response and I have already answered them and enclosed the matter. So, there is no need to discuss anything anymore. Please also inform them about this." I change my mind. It would be just boring there.

"You trust our replies far too much Ri-chan. Won't it help if we jus' wanna see ya to get acquainted with ya more?" I'm sure what she means by that is to rub my past failures into my face. Since she's my first client and all, my first job also happens to be a bigtime flop.

"Nope, sorry," I said apologetically.

Clarence coughed. "In exactly fifteen minutes someone will look for you in Coralhit Hotel. He will bring you the clothes I prepared for you and make sure you wear them. And after five minutes, you'll come with him. Go to the gala or I quit." Damn, if she turns into this control freak persona and you don't obey what she says, there'll be larger stakes in line. I've been to this point many times, mostly because I failed to get something done, but still, this is unsettling. I can't get used to this. I have to do what she says.

Without thinking twice, I ended the call and rushed to the said hotel. It's a good thing I can navigate my way around York New City. I reached it within eight minutes of continuous running. Following Killua became second priority since Clarence's wrath is more frightening to experience.

I entered the said hotel while acting like I have three hundred cameras pointing at me. I scanned the area and found out that there weren't many people in here so I relaxed a bit. I walked around the lobby and decided to sit and wait for the guy she'll send. By the time I was able to sit down on a couch, the said person came in and shouted "Ri-chan" as loud as he can.

I flushed. He caught the attention of the little population the hotel has. Everyone was staring at him but it doesn't seem to waver him. Then I noticed that he's preparing to do it again for the second time. I had no choice. I ran up to him while covering my face and dragged him near the rest rooms. He was silent and composed the whole time. Then I snatched the bag away from his hands which I assume is where the clothes are and donned them immediately.

And when I glanced at the mirror, I looked terrifying as hell. I didn't have the chance to look at the clothes since I tried to put them on as soon as possible. That was a big mistake.

While cringing, I looked at the clothes again. The dress was a burst of color, tainted red, orange and pink. It wasn't frilly, thank God, but the neck line was a plunging V-neck and had silver buttons lining it. So she's planning to make me risk my dignity? And to add, I found a wig equally as horrible—a pink one, a really, _really_ pink one. The purse even matches the dress. The only sane looking piece was the footwear. Simple black sandals with an inch-heel. I wish I was out there blocking Killua's way instead.

I stepped outside and hid myself behind the man's shadows, then he led me towards a limousine parked right in front of the main entrance. I can tell by the looks given off by the people passing by that they're wondering just who the hell is inside this obnoxious vehicle.

While cautiously clinging unto the man's arm, he stopped just in front of the car window. "Ri-chan has arrived," he said, voice different from before. Hearing my sort of nickname from him sent shivers down my spine.

Someone familiar from the inside of the limousine opened the window and smugly said, "Bring her in." before closing it again. The man nodded then opened the door politely for me. I tried to steadily enter the car with my new get-up. Once inside, I was greeted by the familiar smell of an expensive perfume. Then arms flew to my face and held me directly under the dim light.

"Dear Ri-chan!" Clarence hugged me in a somewhat grossed-out manner. Even she's disgusted with the way the clothes fit me. The limousine door closed and the guy went to seat behind the wheel and started to drive. I noticed someone sitting beside him but then Clarence distracted me. "I've missed you! I sincerely miss the way you mess up even the simplest of tasks." I lost the will to know who the person is anymore.

"I was just starting out back then." I reasoned, although in truth all I wanted to say is _you don't have to freakin' remind me._ "Besides, that was four years ago. A lot can change in a person in that span of time." I saw Clarence sitting beside me now.

"Yeah, yeah, that's so totally correct! You've gotten smarter too!" She pinched my cheeks. I scrunched up my skirt mindlessly. "Tell me, do you have a boyfriend?"

"I don't," I answered coolly, relaxing into place. I gazed outside as we passed by the city lights.

"Really?! So those dates I've set up for you back in the days didn't click out..." I turned my head swiftly to look at her, my face fully shocked. When I recovered, I gave her a death glare.

"THOSE WERE F—" I was furious. Pretty soon I'll be hardcore swearing. "—YOU PLANNED THAT—THEY WEREN'T SERIOUS MISSI—"

"Shhh! Don't lose your temper! Yep I did, but praise my mother those didn't work out." She inhaled sharply. "I'm afraid that if they did, you might lose your virginity at such a young age and we all know how hard it'll be for yo—"

That's it.

"Could we just go fucking on please?" I asked, almost tearing up the purse I held in one hand.

"I'm not done yet." She winked. I rolled my eyes at her. Then Clarence went silent while staring at me. I thought she's finally done talking and actually gone serious for a change until she spoke again. "You look horrible in those glasses," she complained. Then Clarence tried to take it off but I stopped her and it almost looked like I was about to slap her.

"Quit it." I scowled. In spite of that, she smiled at me merrily, seemingly enjoying my reactions.

"Ah, no use then. The pushover I used to know has grown up." She lit a cigarette. Why is this sense of emotional torment and self pity building up inside me? I have no reason to feel that way. And what in the world am I doing? Why am_ I_ here?

"Whatever." I mumbled, retreating. Then, I heard her gasp.

"Maybe the reason you don't have a boyfriend—" We're still on this?! "—is because you already like someone!"

I had my eyes fixed up above. "Why does this topic interest you so—"

"You like Killua don't you?"

. . .

...What?

"Gee, I'm having a fun time talking with you Clarence, but I have to go. I have a _job_ to do." I tried to open the door which was of course, locked. And that's because we're inside a moving vehicle.

"You're always like this Ri-chan!" Clarence scooted from her seat and put a hand on my shoulder. "And that's useless. I won't allow you to leave yet," she added firmly.

"Never mind, I'll break the window instead." I looked from side to side to find something easier to shatter.

"You do like him, don't you?" she teased.

"No, I don't." I said quickly. Almost too quickly to the point of panicky.

"Then why are you trying to escape?"

"Because you'd keep on pushing on this topic whereas I just want to get my fucking job done." I was hissing. Clarence frowned at me. I started pounding on the window, adding more force each time I made contact.

"You can't break them that easily," she said, cigarette between fingers. "You're trapped until I let you go." Her eyes glinted in sadistic enjoyment.

Like hell I am. Mini bar at the end, someone driving upfront. Nothing but comfy seats in front of me. Clarence staring at me at the right. "Unbreakable" glass everywhere. Locked door. Now which one?

"I wonder.." My eyes strayed towards the driver. Clarence looked at the same direction and her face that she guessed what I'm about to do. I smirked then lunged myself at him. I accidentally got hold of the wheel. The driver was so surprised that he almost let go. When I managed to balance myself, I pushed several buttons in desperation of finding something that unlocks the doors. Clarence pulled at my dress ever so slightly.

I think I actually have a chance to escape and continue doing what I must be doing.

And at that moment, the limousine swerved around the road for a full minute.

:::::::::::::::::::

Classical music. People chattering and wearing formal clothing. Gold-themed room. A huge room. Picture yourself inside a castle's reception hall. And it is full of drug lords, criminals, smugglers, sex addicts and the like. Basically, the mafia community.

Do I belong to any of them? Kind of, because I'm here in some place inside some building I'm too exhausted to even remember with them. My fingers twisted in irritation around the handkerchief I've been holding for a time now.

I was inwardly cursing myself, calling myself pathetic names and torturing myself verbally for how much of a pushover I truly am. I let all these rich people manipulate me just because they agreed to help. This desire to freakin' please people has got to stop. I'm not going anywhere with this.

And I'm literally not going anywhere. Clarence ordered the guys guarding outside to not let me go unless she goes. How beautiful life is.

Clarence was sitting on another table. Luckily I have managed to talk to the others I've hired. They each said it was all under their control, although most of the men they had had already failed. And because I'm not wearing my glasses—Clarence kept on insisting I take it off—I royally embarrassed myself multiple times in front of them because I couldn't tell who was who. And who's doing what.

Mind you, it's not entirely my fault. Despite my almost helpless optical nerves, I can see clearly in that angle or the other. And sometimes I can see their faces and very tiny determining features. But who asked them to dress the exact damn way anyway? The hell I care about faces and shit. When two people show up in the same clothes, that's the first thing they'll notice. I'm starting to talk stupid again.

I sighed. How did I really end up in here?

I recounted the events that happened earlier. The airship attack was bad enough, going to this party was worse.

"Hey!" Clarence went to my table, pulling me away from my thoughts. "Let's eat," she said, her smile creepily fixed in place.

"Not hungry." I buried my face in my hands.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! Here's a book. A gift from me to you." She placed it on the table. I slowly took it, wondering what it might contain. When I opened it, I saw that it was hollow, and there's a cellphone showing Killua inside. I noticed that the book was still brand new. What a waste of perfectly good paper.

"Thank you," I said somewhat sarcastically. Clarence beamed. Then she forced me to go to the banquet table. There, she showed me various kinds of desserts and pastries that I don't care about. I'm now more concerned with the hinder Killua plan working, even if the target is miles away. I continued to look at the cellphone inside the pocket book and ignoring her.

"Here, eat this!" She handed me a bowl of strawberries glazed with chocolate syrup. "Don't they just match your lovely wig?" She grinned.

"Yeah." I said half-heartedly. I took it without giving attention to what I'm doing and almost dropped the bowl.

"Careful!" She took it back. "You oughtta be more feminine, Ri-chan. You lack poise," she said before popping a strawberry into her mouth. Suddenly, Pearl came into my mind. Ah damn, I remember, I have to rescue her too. But to hell with it! I need to hinder Killua first. Yep, just by enjoying the party. I see no point in me going here.

I nodded at her and picked up a cupcake, still focused on the phone. I took a bite out of it. Then I heard two men talking near where I'm standing. They were all dressed to kill, looking stunning in those suits. I felt like a crazy chicken painted with such screaming colors that I might scare them off.

"Good evening, Matsuki-san."

"Good evening. Have you met the famous business partner of Marionette?" I think Pearl has mentioned something about this way back; that she was called that name in the dark. And Karen's here?! I started chewing slowly.

"Yes. He is over there, sitting right next to that pillar." I glanced at the speaker who was facing me and looked at the direction he's pointing at. I saw a bunch of people, normal-looking people with gowns and tuxedos. But of course, they didn't provide a description for Karen so it's impossible for me to distinguish him among them.

I closed the book and continued eating however. I was seriously curious on what he really looks like. People were blocking the view, and it would be strange if I suddenly move from side to side just to get a better look at the pillar. And then I noticed someone with blond hair and it looked very familiar. I took a step to the side and then I saw the person's face. The two men looked at me.

I still went a bit further, and saw that it was Kurapika, all dressed in a suit like every other guy in here. The exception is it _fits_ him. He's a marvel to look at. Wait, what is he doing _here_? This place is full of mafia community members, right? So, what..?

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**A/N:** So, what... do you think? Does this chapter stink? Do you hate me? Do you hate Pearl? Kindly tell me through PM or a review. And just so you know, a descriptive review would really help me out a lot in the next chapters! Thank you for reading.


	13. Nebula

Inspiration: Why by Avril Lavigne _How come you act like this, like you just don't care at all? Do you expect me to believe I was the only one to fall?_

**DISCLAIMER: ISN'T IT OBVIOUS YET? (╯°□°）╯彡 ┻━┻**

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**Chapter 13: Nebula**

Just when my vision started cooperating, the world's become one huge fuzz ball again with only a few clear spots but I can still identify that blond hair anytime. Yeah, despite my eye's poor condition, that is really Kurapika and in a really nice suit.

He walked towards this direction, unaware of my eyes following him. He held a near-empty wine glass in his left hand then stopped. Someone had greeted him and he bowed in respect. Then he continued to walk, his appearance giving of a honorable feature. He went to a certain table occupied by two persons. So he's not alone.

He just stood there, glass now placed on the table and knuckles pressed against the cloth. Then he turned to his left and spoke a few words, his expression changed fully into seriousness. The person he talked to, who looked to be a small woman with a hat, smiled at him weakly. It appeared to me that they were discussing something important amidst the cheeriness of this party. Then, she glanced at me and was smiling. I made eye contact with her for a few seconds then looked away.

When I saw her again, I scolded myself. Maybe I'm mistaken. There's a freaking buffet table behind me. Maybe she's hungry or something. Getting self-conscious all of a sudden. What a joke.

No, that's not what I wanted to figure out.

Why is he here? Why is he enjoying himself? Not that he doesn't have the right to but, why is he enjoying himself with _these people_? Even if a problem seemed to be bothering him because it's somewhat shown on his face. These people are the _mafia_. The bad guys, the ones that do crime for a living. We're not talking about those people who kill or steal for their own reasons. These guys are already rich but they still continue.

Yet I'm also here though I wasn't invited; just got dragged here. I'm not even on the guest list until now. But I bet he is.

It never occurred to me that he might belong with these guys. When I first saw him, he looked like someone who works everyday to earn honest money. He has nice and kind—kind-looking anyway—friends, except one. He looked like someone who might think twice before doing anything wrong. He seemed too intelligent for that. But looks are deceiving. His got me pretty fooled.

Who is Kurapika?

He's certainly not the business partner. But if he is, I refuse to believe. Even if I don't know much about Kurapika, him constantly stalking and tracking me down will seem way off. And Pearl should have told me that she knows him all along.

I looked down on the book I'm holding and inhaled deeply. I hadn't notice that I've been holding it too tightly. I stepped away and then the world seemed to return to normal function. Stealing one final glance at Kurapika, I decided to move back to my table. Maybe I should ask Clarence about him, or Pearl. After I rescue her first that is.

Then someone put a hand on my shoulder. I stopped walking. One of the men I might have disturbed slowly walked in front of me. Without meaning to, I looked up at them with a cold demeanor.

"Were you listening to our conversation young lady?" he asked, heavily stressing each word.

I didn't move nor spoke. He was staring me down, testing if his eyes could actually melt people away. The other person walked beside him, looking confused of the situation.

"What's the matter Matsuki-san?" he asked. From the tone of his voice, he must also be shocked at the sudden action his friend took. Then the "Matsuki" guy removed his hand finally.

"I hate eavesdroppers. That's what led to my downfall last year," he added before turning to go back near the table. "Can't trust shit to anyone anymore."

"Don't worry Matsuki-san. I'm pretty sure she has no intention of doing so. And nobody would do that to you." This guy must be a natural born ass kisser of some kind. "Wait a moment, what are you doing here wearing that—uhm—pur-retty dress, beautiful miss?" And a freakin' failure of a flirt too. He smiled at me despite the obvious disgust in his face. I bet he'd hit on anyone.

I bowed. "I apologize for my behavior, sirs." Then I returned to normal position and prepared to leave. "But if you don't mind me asking, why the true distaste for eavesdroppers?" I looked at Matsuki. I know everyone has different opinions about them.

"They all want to get ahead of me, those motherfuckers," he snarled. Looks like I'm not the only one being insecure. "So girlie, if you want to sell that info, think twice." Then he made a hand gesture like he's holding a gun and "fired" at me twice.

"Marionette's business partner isn't even a secret to begin with, Matsuki-san. At least in our side of the world." That guy flashed a smile at me again. "Why were you looking for him too, my lady?"

I pursed my lips then said, "Curiosity."

"I don't believe you." That Matsuki guy has totally lost all my respect for him earlier. "She's spying at us. Look at her goofy get-up." Even I can't disagree that I look ridiculous. "But if she's spying, then she's doing an awful job." He nodded. "What a shitty spy, attracting attention to herself. You're going to die young."

I only listened attentively to half of what he said. The moment I glanced at my table, I saw Kurapika looking at us.

"So why did you try to find him too?" he asked. "Planning to get slutty?"

Upon realization that he was looking at my dress, something inside me snapped. "Now wait a second—" I took a step closer to him. The guy beside him doesn't seem to want to stop us.

He smirked. The other guy went back to the table. "Who do you work for?"

I paid no attention to his question. "Who the fuck are you to—"

"Hey! What's all this?" Clarence butted in. She stood to my right and looked worried, which was fake. "All this commotion over Ri-chan. What were you doing, you naughty girl?" She pinched my cheek. If I wasn't so grateful to you for cutting in, I'd stuff this wig to your mouth.

"Say, what were you looking at earlier?" She doesn't seemed to notice the guy to my left.

"Nothing," I said bitterly. Then as a sort of response, she slipped my glasses into my hand.

"We were discussing about her spying abilities. Hello Clarence-san!" The other guy came back.

"I see, so you are Clarence-san." Matsuki made his presence known.

"Oh Matsuki-san! Didn't notice you here!" She smiled foolishly. "Good evening to you Taru-san." They are so polite to each othe—wait, Taru-san?!

I looked at the said person. So this is the guy I almost hired. I never thought that this would be him. He's shorter and looks younger than Matsuki-san. Must be at his early thirties. This is the first time we've met actually. He was considered too "V.I.P." to be met in person so business transaction were only made through calling him using his _very_ confidential number. He pays a rather large sum though, but using his services is a bad idea.

"Good evening Clarence-san," Taru said cordially.

"Is she one of your own?" Matsuki asked her. I put on my glasses as I felt their eyes on me again.

"No, no. She's just my, uhm..." She looked at me, eyes asking for an answer in my face. Yeah just try and look for them all you want. You won't find any though.

After a minute, Taru-san suggested, "...niece?"

"No..." Clarence is pretty old enough to be my aunt anyway. Please use that excuse and let's get this over with!

"How do I say this... She's my employer? As of the moment, I think." Clarence tilted her head to one side and appeared confused herself.

Taru-san let out a low laugh. "Employer? I see." I don't get what's funny about that either.

And that's as far as I listened. I strayed away from the conversation and waited for the moment Clarence will be free so I can ask her. I swallowed the remaining part of my cupcake and looked again at where Kurapika was the first time I saw him. Then my eyes travelled to his table. It would seem that he might have been there earlier because he greeted Pearl's business partner or discussed things with him.

I looked around, wondering why I'm not sitting down, wondering why I'm not hindering Killua myself, wondering why I'm wearing a pink wig, wondering why I let Pearl and Alluka slip past me, wondering why Kurapika is here, wondering about the identity of the people accompanying him, wondering.. About a whole lot of things. But I won't give myself the pleasure of thinking those over. I know most of the answers anyway. For the ones I don't know, I intend to know, right now. Or right after they're done.

I reached for another cupcake and finished it immediately. With an almost empty stomach, I can feel the food travel down my esophagus and into my stomach. At least my organs are doing their job, unlike me. I glanced at the three again. They sure are taking their sweet time talking.

"How is business?" Matsuki asked. More like how her _criminal_ business is going.

"It's gotten better actually," she replied then chuckled. Ha, people do like counterfeit goods and other black market shit.

"Got a hold of those rare products?" Taru inquired.

"Yep!" She smiled. Is this something to be proud of? Maybe I should call the police. And end up getting executed. I backed away again and searched for the blonde.

I went back to looking at Kurapika and saw another man went over their table. Then they shook hands.

The longer I watch him, the more my curiosity grows.

Impatience soon clogged up all corners of my mind. Standing here looking like a rafflesia amongst a bed of black roses has become a tiresome idea. I finally went back to the three and tried tearing Clarence away from them.

"Ri-chan, we're in the middle of something here," she said between closed teeth after I spoke to her. It seemed freaky really, because she did that while smiling and repeatedly eyeing the two then back to me as if her point wasn't emphasized enough.

"But Clarence," I pled, "this is really important." I glanced and Kurapika for a moment. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Excuse us for a second." She smiled sweetly—fakingly—at them then pulled me near the table where they served beverages. "Listen, Ri-chan, I don't know what your problem is but I am discussing equally if not more important things with them so please do not interrupt."

"Oh! Important! Like what, who's got the deal to sell the most badass, nerve-wrecking, disease-attracting, death-challenging drug of the history of mankind?" I said in an annoyed tone.

She glared at me. "Be. Quiet. Or so help me I will put a collar around your beloved target and make him my personal pet. Not just hinder him." The way she said "pet" was really suggestive of other things that I shuddered. Though it was highly impossible, I gave up all together, including asking her about Kurapika.

"Fine. Can I go home now?" I said with a matching "defeated" sigh.

"No," Clarence said as she prepared to go back to her conversation.

"Then why did you even brought me here?" I asked, moving away.

Then she faced me again. "Ri-chan, I wanted to help you with the hindering thing. You already met exclusively with the people you hired and doesn't that make things easier? I even gave you that book," which was wasted, "and camera," which wasn't necessary at all, "to monitor him even from afar. Now your business is done, let me do mine." She held my shoulders and squeezed them then winked at me. Every cell in my body wanted to attack her but I controlled myself and surrendered quietly.

Just kidding.

"Sure, have fun with drugs and stuff." I winked back at her and turned away to not see her reaction. I still feel scared about seeing her getting ticked off. But fuck it. I clutched at the book tightly, wanting to break it in half. For the love of whoever's worth loving, Clarence dragged me here against my will and she's still not letting me go?

While grumbling along the way, I headed to my table and ended up sitting alone again. I fiddled around with my thoughts several times and came to the conclusion that 1.) Kurapika is a member of the mafia, 2.) I need to find out what he does or doing here so 3.) I could get back to Killua and my job and 4.) Rescue Pearl and Alluka.

Then I became aware that music was playing in the background, that there was a stage, and there are people playing it. Classical music. A pretty and relaxing tune. I'm guessing it's one of Bach's pieces or from that Brahms guy. I don't know. They're the only ones I'm familiar anyway. Trying to guess was stupid.

The people on stage looked upset or rather, very _engrossed_ on the piece they are playing.

I straightened up and looked around again but only made my eyes do the looking. Yep, most women are donning elegant gowns with dark or rich colors.

Okay let's ponder on the question: Why am I here? For starters, I was afraid of Clarence. She can be a horrible and terrifying monster that saying that she is a horrible and terrifying monster doesn't even describe the half of it. I've gone through hideous failures when I worked for her and I always end up feeling mortified and utterly useless after I'm done reporting. Second, a little part, no, maybe one-third of my sane conscious mind got curious. Like something interesting might take place, and looky here, there's Kurapika. Third, I might have saw it as means of escaping my responsibilities. Idiotic, I know.

My table has about six chairs surrounding it and me sitting alone is a miserable sight. There's a bouquet of various flowers in the middle, like roses, daisies, carnations and about as many as you can identify. They were arranged in a way that even if the flowers are in a cheerful tinge, there's an air of sophistication and class. There's also six sets of utensils which consisted of the regular plus table napkin in each table. Pushing those to the side, I sprawled my arms over the table in the most comfortable way, forgetting about the crowd around and stared at the book for a while.

Just then I notice that the table wore two layers of clothing. A large piece of silk was draped over it and a smaller textile—linen clothe the top. Chairs sported the same white color, but with cream cushions for back support and for sitting on. It made my position more at ease. I opened the book and didn't see Killua anymore. Hindering failure. The man holding the camera seemed lost that I almost felt dizzy, so I closed it eventually. Money wasted on nothing. At least I managed to hinder him for a bit, I hope.

The music playing became a form of a lullaby now. I looked at my phone. 1 A.M. Gosh, I'm feeling sleepy. Nope can't sleep, this is a gathering! A party, a gala! Sleeping is disgraceful.

Ha, no. The people in here belong to the mafia community anyway. I'm not even a member so it's okay. Nothing to worry about...

My vision soon became blurry and narrowing even with my glasses on. I started to squint to wake myself up to no avail. Crossing my arms at the table, I soon laid face-first with my arms as a pillow and gave up to sleep. Curse this sweet tempting music...

_Bam!_

Holy crap. My freakin' head hurts. I rubbed the spot fervently then I looked up to see the culprit. I lifted my glasses for a bit to rub my eye, I saw Clarence and her awful grimace.

"We do NOT sleep at parties!" Her voice boomed through my ears that I bet she can be a more effecient alarm clock than the one I have. Seeing my purse in her right hand, she must've hit me with all she got, or some of it.

"What time is it?" I stretched and yawned. Clarence used the purse again to slap my mouth.

"WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS?" she shouted but not that loud to make everyone look at us, but there are people looking. She moved her face closer, antagonizing me. And so it begins. The wicked, wicked beast unleashed.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. Then I straightened up. "No really, what time is it?"

She checked my cellphone. "1:30." Her eyes were still giving me a death glare, more intense than Superman's laser vision. I can't help but hang my head and stare at my bare fingers. Then I glanced up at the direction of the musicians and somehow I thought of Kurapika again. This is my chance.

"Clarence can I ask—"

"OH SWEET GOD!" She broke down after seconds of staring. "The humiliation I felt because of you!" she wailed.

"—a question?"

"Marionette's business partner was even the one who pointed out to me that you were sleeping. Goddamnit Ri-chan, don't you feel ashamed?" She still continued saying her nickname for me despite the obvious frustration. I'm amazed.

"Doesn't he have a name? Why refer to 'business partner' all the time?" I said, attempting to scratch my head, er, wig.

She ignored the question. "In a few minutes, there will be an event." I glanced at the stage. "Be awake. Or I will quit."

"Sure quit. Whatever." I stretched my arms and looked at the ceiling. I felt her death glare again then she walked away.

Ugh, events. What have I gotten myself into? Stupid curiosity. It wasn't my chance after all. I got to practice the correct timing to ask stuff.

Clarence came back a second later to give me back my purse which I received happily. I opened it to check my phone of any messages from Pearl. There were none. The only unread message I have was from the business partner, I mean, Karen.

"Wake up," it read.

"Don't you have a name for them to call?" I replied to him then scanned around to check for people who might reach for their phone. Someone from my field of vision did have his phone in his hands. Maybe that guy is Karen. But nope! He put the phone to his ear and answered a call. The thought of him faking it has crossed my mind but not really. It seemed real to me. He even distanced himself from a group of people chatting nearby to hear better.

I looked around again, and became more attentive. Just then he replied. Damn it.

"No. They just worship me too much that they even refuse to mention my name. ;)"

"Best joke I've read in years," I replied. And before I can even begin to look around, I already received his reply, like he expected that kind of response.

"I know right? Kidding aside, stay awake or you won't get a chance to see me." Fine, fine. But after everything that has happened—even if they weren't that necessary, or numerous—I don't want to see him anymore. Besides, all he did was bug me whenever he wants to.

"Then again, I might ditch this event of yours." I sent him the text and waited for a few seconds. He didn't reply. So that's it.

I stretched again for a bit then stood up, leaving the book and the purse at my table. For someone who had little to none food eaten this evening, I'm glad I can last this long. But since there were several people in here already having dinner, I took my plate and grabbed food from the buffet out of courtesy to the one hosting this party, if there is a host. What was the reason again on why this was held?

I set aside my things and placed the plate on my table, along with a flute of champagne. And as expected, I'm the alone with no one to share this great food with. Yep, it was delicious, as expected from another type of fancy meal. I didn't bother to ask its name though; I won't be able to pronounce it either way. Then, craving for something sweet, I grabbed two pieces of cupcakes.

And felt guilty about it. Pearl and Alluka are held captive, Killua's working his ass off to get them back and I'm here enjoying the heck out of this food.

After I finished my desert and was now helping myself with the champagne, the lights dimmed and the musicians on stage left, taking their instruments with them. The only one left was the pianist, and the grand piano, needless to say. He then started playing something cheerful and a man soon climbed upon the stage, with a spotlight following directed at him.

I don't recognize his face, which means there's a huge chance that I won't be interesting in what he's going to do or say. But everyone here thinks otherwise. They're all focused on him. Perhaps he must be one of the new Ten Dons.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen..."

I had my head resting on my hand and watched him as he talked, even though I was barely listening. Then I overheard from the other table that they did this in commemoration of something. I failed to hear what it was really. And then their conversation dragged on to things at the top of my I Don't Care About These list, I tried to look at the entrance of this reception hall and all the other doors I can see within peripheral vision.

There are many different exits, and many ways to escape. There's also far too many ways to create opportunities for escaping. The only problem is, I don't know where all the other doors lead to, excluding the restrooms and the entrance.

While I planned a way to escape using this bouquet of flowers, I gave half of my attention to the speech being said. The moment he said, "Now is the time..." my table virbrated slightly, and I felt the urge to check my phone. I hid the purse under my table and opened it, revealing the light coming from my phone. Someone had texted me, and it was from Pearl.

And it was random gibberish. I could have assumed that she just mistakenly sent me a wrong message except that no, it's impossible her phone is still with her. The message earlier, I'm sure Pearl wasn't the one who sent that to me. And about the gibberish, I know Pearl has this stupid language she made up with Karen, and it's more complicated than Pig Latin, the message is really really more undecipherable. Like foreign language plus alien talk plus animal sounds kind of gibberish, with totally crazy capitalization and punctuation. But it didn't look like someone just carelessly pressed letters and symbols.

Then someone walked pass my table and left me a glass or red wine. I drank it 'till there's nothing left and went back to reading the message again and again until I can figure out what it's trying to say. Then finally, I decided to call. It rang twice before someone answered then someone hung up on me. Strange.

And for the weirdest second, I felt someone stare at me as if watching my reaction. I looked up and saw Clarence glaring as if I had something on me face and someone told her about it again.

I mouthed, "What?" and she mouthed back, "Stop sleeping!" and this time I whispered, "I wasn't!" then she turned her back at me and sat more appropriately again. I rolled my eyes at her and returned to my phone. I brought it up on table in case she's going to think that I might've snoozed off again. Though with that movement, I didn't notice my hand bump with the wine glass and cause it to fall over, and roll to the edge. Panicking, I tried to catch and before it crashes to the floor. And I was successful. Whew!

But then there's another crash, a light one fortunately. I looked under the table and saw my purse and its contents always scattered on the floor. The people from the other table looked at me then started whispering to each other. I smiled at them apologetically and tried to pick up everything that used to reside within the purse. Most of them belong to Clarence anyway.

So there's the eyeliner, money—just 300 Jennies—more make up things like a lip gloss, liquid, um, foundation—for the record, I haven't touched any of these until now—and a compact mirror. Then there's the lipstick near the front leg of the chair across mine. I crouched down and reached for it. I got a hold of the lipstick easily but the cap fell off. Damn it.

It rolled off three tables away from mine. Just great.

I stood up, fixed my dress for a second and headed towards where the cap went. I had my head bowed down along the way to make sure the other people won't be disturbed that much. When I reached the table where the cap was, I said excuse me to the guests there and proceeded to pick it up. And guess what? One of the people sitting there, a woman in a deep red dress, accidentally kicked the cap and sent it flying with a total distance of four tables away. Now I have to walk towards the middle of this freaking room. I exhaled then walk there. As I passed where Clarence sat

"...Please give a round of applause to a friend of mine who made this gathering possible, Clarence-san!"

Everyone started clapping. The sound faded after she made it to the stage. I glanced at her for a second then turned away, expecting her disappointed glare directed at me so I moved along hastily. I reached the place without any struggle and bent down to get the cap.

"Hello, miss. Pardon me but, I think Clarence-san is staring at you." A man who was sitting on the chair where the cap was near pointed at her. I glanced up but she blinked away. I looked at her for a second longer and then finally saw it; she is staring at me.

After I grabbed the cap nervously, I sat down on a free chair, right beside the guy who said the thing about Clarence. I apologized to him and his companions for my strange behavior and asked if I could stay here for a bit, and they answered that it was alright.

They had a wine bottle there and offered me a drink, in which I gladly accepted. Maybe I should wait a few minutes or after Clarence is done with her spotlight to go back. My phone and the purse were still there at my table and I don't want to risk getting stolen.

The people sitting at this table were very accommodating, but they didn't bother talking to me. They were all intently listening to the speakers, so I'm stuck here with nothjng but a lipstick cap in hand.

I examined where I am and guessed that I maybe really nearing the middle, and as such, near where Kurapika is. I looked sideways and searched for him again. And sure enough, he is near, like just beside this table kind of near. To be precise, he's just at my left side.

While pouring wine to my glass, I tried to listen at any conversation happening at their table. After a sip, I glanced at him and saw him reach for his phone. Someone was calling him, at this time of the night.

"Hello?" Pause. "Yes, Killua."

The glass almost slipped from my hand. I should've guessed. Recalling Killua's cool composure earlier, I'm now sure why he was so confident like he knew how to handle the situation; Kurapika was his informant, a friend he's in the mafia. The perfect piece of the puzzle.

"No, I still haven't heard about it yet."

What sucks is I can only hear half of the conversation. But I guess it should be enough. Better than nothing, after all.

"I'm on it."

I could just tell him I'm Ruyoki, and he can invite me outside and ask me all sorts of questions about why I'm here and I can also confront him about his reason and et cetera. Except that the hole on that plan are, I'm wearing a wig and a nauseating dress, and I can't just reveal my name.

Suddenly, in the midst of eavesdropping, the spotlight moved, vaguely towards this direction. It painfully travelled so slowly that I had the time to hope it wasn't to where I am. But no, my fate had been comically decided by some sadistic person and yeah, it travelled to where I am.

"And this is the wonderful Ri-chan! Come up here on stage, dear!"

Shit. How about that. ON STAGE. I got dragged into everything. Thank God she still hasn't said my real name.

When she noticed I still haven't moved a bit, Clarence started clapping.

"Come on Ri-chan! Don't be shy." I am not freakin' shy. This is risking my dignity and every scrap of pride I had times two.

And when I was still not moving, the man beside me even encouraged me to stand up. How embarrassing. I smiled at him shyly then stood up in a somehow irritated manner. I made my way to the stage and Clarence went to greet me. And now that I stood here in front of everybody, I wanted to cover every single piece of exposed flesh in my body with tissue paper. This is beyond humiliating. It would be okay if I'm wearing my comfortable clothes but to be _here_ wearing this freakin' dress?! Can someone shoot me now?

I stared at Clarence as she spoke, and I could tell she enjoyed how funny my face must've looked when she invited me up here. This bitch. Don't tell me this is revenge for earlier? Like you suffered _this_ kind of humiliation. Give me a break!

"Um, Ri-chan, what is your real name? I'm not supposing your name is really 'Ri-chan' right?"

"Oh her real name's Ruyoki," Clarence answered for me. Is it the end of the world?

I glanced at Kurapika, who held down his phone and stared at me with a shocked expression. I was tempted to say hello to him but nah, damages would only file up.

"And I forgot! Thank you also to Nostrade-san for the help!"

My body flinched at the very mention of that name. They were the ones I assumed to have kidnapped Alluka and Pearl. Like earlier, the spotlight moved slowly, until it stayed on where Kurapika sat. I wanted to put my hand over mouth to hide how surprising everything was to me, but then again, Clarence is just nearby.

Nostrade himself stood up and just bowed at everyone while they clapped for him. Then the spotlight had moved back again. It would have actually be better to have him on this stage so I could watch him more closely and try to read his mind, or maybe punch him in the face for capturing those two.

"Of course, we're not just here to congratulate and thank everyone all night. Please also welcome—"

"Wait up!" Clarence interrupted. "I have something to say first." Then she turned to me. "By the way Ruyoki." She draped an arm over my shoulders. "Tell your friends what I'm about to say to you." I winced. "Ri-chan" is finally dead, but I admit, that was better. And why would my friends want to know this?

When she didn't say anything, I decided to ask. "What is it?" I used a tone higher than before.

Clarence then smiled really big and faced the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you enjoy the fireworks!" She turned to me. "Try and catch me." Then she ran off. Wait, WHAT?

As soon as she left, something exploaded behind us. The man and I managed to dodge but he landed on top of a table and I landed near another dynamite. I ran away as fast as I can and headed towards my table, grabbed my belongings and reached to the exit. Everyone was already panicking and maybe stepping on each other to get out so I waited a little while and backed away for a moment. And almost expected, there was another explosive just about the chandelier near there. I managed to cover myself through the hiding under the table but when I peeked out, there was shattered glass everywhere, the exit blocked and blood on the crystal clear floor.

Then, as if that explosion on the chandelier was a signal, different bombs were set off simultaneously, and there were more bloodshed. My heart started beating loudly that it almost clouded my mind. I almost accepted that I'm going to die here, until I saw that the only safe spot was the middle.

I hurriedly put my phone in the purse and went to that area. There was only one man standing there with me. When I turned to ask him if he knows why this is happening, he gave me a creepy smile and then walked away and got bombarded by glass shards and some wood. Something near him have exploded. Oh my gosh. I turned away and didn't look afterwards. I didn't want to see what remains of his body.

Fire started spreading. Everyone around me was panicking to the point of holding up their guns and started shooting. Anarchy. I went to another table to hide and hope not to get gashed by a bullet again. Then very carefully, I turned it over and let the contents slide off, and rolled it while I walked towards the exit.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" I tried to create space for me and the table and see if the exit was thoroughly blocked. Nope! I heaved a sigh of relief. There was a small hole that people were crawling under one by one, and fighted over which goes out first. I waited for my turn—which was excruciating—then finally got outside of this place in one piece. I opened my purse and looked at the time. 2:51 A.M.

I got wounds on my feet and hands because of the glass but still, I'm safe. The people that went before and after me bolted immediately to their cars once they were out but I stayed a while longer near the hole. As people were still going through, I crouched down to get a glimpse one last time at the destruction that is the party of the mafia community, and there flashing colors in there. I also saw feet running around the place before it filled the limited space there, and then fireworks being set off and piercing screams were heard, then hands reaching out of the hole. I stood up. Then hands grasping at the air losing their energy, then nothing.

Are they all dead? What the hell.

No other emotion consumed my body but panic, fear, and sadness for the people still there. Though I know many escaped, because I never got to see Kurapika again after the explosion on the stage and they're not the ones remaining inside before I got out, there's still those who died. I could've saved them, but I had no choice. I wonder if I'll end up with the same situation with Alluka and Pearl?

I walked towards the street, still feeling bad. I wanted to remove this wig but then I got this eerie feeling that someone's watching me again. When I looked up, I swore I couldn't believe what I just saw. It was Killua and he was watching from on top of another building. Then I smelled smoke, and crackling of fire. Behind me, the entire hotel was already burning.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading. And sorry. orz I'm just gonna go for a while and wallow in self-pity. Hope you liked the explosion. Because. ART. IS. AN. EXPLOSION. I should leave. Back to those book reports. ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ)  
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